US Politics Live Updates: ‘We’ll bomb the s--t out of them’: Trump’s threat to ally

Trump’s acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has announced the administration signed a $US22.9 billion ($30 billion) contract with defence contractor Raytheon to accelerate production of Tomahawk missiles.

The Iran war has led to US military shortages of key advanced weapons, such as the Tomahawk.

The contract “reinforces the Department’s commitment to rebuilding the defence industrial base and ensuring Navy and Marine Corps forces remain equipped with the advanced weapons required to maintain maritime superiority,” the Navy said in a statement.

We’ve learnt more on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s phone call with US President Donad Trump last week.

The phone calls usually average 15 minutes but went on for about 40 minutes.During the chat, Albanese raised the latest tariffs imposed on Australia and urged Trump to reconsider them.

Trump agreed to consider the request.

The two leaders also discussed the AUKUS agreement and the war in Iran.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has urged Donald Trump in a phone call to pursue talks with Iran to de-escalate tensions between the two countries, reports Reuters.

The Turkish president also offered his nation’s support for peace efforts.

Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army and borders Iran, has repeatedly called for an end to the conflict.

It has maintained close contact with the United States, Iran, and mediators such as Pakistan and Qatar, while also acting as an intermediary between the parties.

“Erdogan stated that it is of great importance to make the utmost of diplomacy regarding the tensions between Iran and the United States, that we hope the talks will continue, and that Turkey will continue to support peace efforts,” the presidency says in a statement.

Donald Trump has berated a female reporter at the White House while he was hosting a 10-year-old boy and the lifeguard who saved him.

The president was sitting beside teenage lifeguard Ryder William who was filmed in July pulling Nathaniel Rai, 10, from heavy surf at a Californian beach.

Footage of the dramatic rescue went viral, prompting Trump to invite the pair to the White House.

But his mood turned sour when CNN reporter Kristen Holmes tried to ask the president whether there are sufficient supplies and food aboard USS Abraham Lincoln.

Trump furiously cut her off, citing the presence of Rai.

“Quiet! You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man,” Trump said.

The president then turned to Williams, seated beside him, and asked: “Don’t you find her disrespectful?”

“He understands. Quiet!” Trump told Holmes.

When she identified the media outlet she works for, the Trump told her: “You’re fake news. Be quiet! You’re a fake reporter.”

A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned a drone strike that targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister’s office overnight.

Esmaeil Baghaei denounced the attack, “describing it as a highly suspicious development that requires vigilance and careful attention,” according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

The Kurdistan Regional Government told Reuters there were no reports of casualties.

Iran and Iran-backed armed groups have repeatedly accused Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of harbouring Iranian Kurdish opposition groups that Tehran ⁠regards as a security threat.

US special envoy Jared Kushner says his father-in-law Donald Trump “is gonna be very patient” with Iran.

Kushner has just spoken with Fox News as he continues his diplomatic mission in the Middle East.

He says Washington and Tehran are holding “active conversations” but trust is lacking between the two combatants.

“There’s really not a lot of trust between America and Iran after all these years of not having these relations and dialogues, but obviously, they’re engaging in a very…. strong way, and that’s quite positive, but we’re not there yet on understanding.”

Kushner says Trump doesn’t want to rush into any agreement with Iran.

“He’ll make the right deal when the right deal is ready, but we are having very positive and active conversations.”

Trump on Tuesday (AEST) shared a meme of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un after announcing that the US would scale back military exercises with South Korea.

The meme, posted on the president’s own platform Truth Social, features dictator Kim surrounded by military officers and speaking on the phone with the caption “hey Donald, we cool... right?”

Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to reduce the scale of the annual joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with Kim.

Speaking in the White House before he posted the meme, Trump suggested he and the North Korean leader had communicated.

The president said Kim has responded to the White House’s requests to “have a conversation,” without offering further details.

US special envoy and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has held a marathon meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu over the future of Gaza.

The fate of the current ceasefire still looks unclear, with officials signalling moderate optimism but offering no concrete commitment by Israel to the latest American plan.

At stake are the lives of about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, rebuilding plans and future control over the territory.

A major sticking point is the timetable for the disarmament of Hamas fighters and the timetable for an Israeli military withdrawal.

Kushner earlier met with Hamas’ leader in Egypt.

Nearly six months since the start of the war, shipping traffic through two major shipping channels in the Middle Eastern remains depressed.

New data from MarineTraffic shows at least three commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours: two tankers moved into the Persian Gulf, while one vessel exited into the Gulf of Oman.

Before the war, an average of about 110 ships transited the waterway daily.

Meanwhile, the US military continues to redirect some ships bound for Iran as part of its blockade.

In a statement, the Defence Department said that “CENTCOM forces have redirected 64 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2 to ensure compliance,” as of August 17.

Trump has brushed off reports about conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln to reporters in the Oval Office.

The aircraft carrier has been the subject of escalating concern over mental health and supply issues for American sailors enduring nearly nine months at sea during the war.

Trump called it a “good period of time” but added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.”

The carrier has had a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.

But Trump said he spoke with a retired admiral over the weekend he refused to name who recounted being on ships for “much longer”.

The president said the admiral assured him the Lincoln is “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of”.