AS IT HAPPENED: Trump praises King while continuing complaints about British PM Keir Starmer; King Charles and Queen Camilla make first visit to 9/11 memorial; Democrats press Pete Hegseth over $35 billion Iran war

Thanks for following along with our rolling coverage of US politics, Donald Trump and the war in Iran.

Here are the developments that made headlines today.

Brent Crude futures prices have surged past $US126 a barrel as the Trump reportedly looks at the potential of reigniting military action against Iran amid stalled peace talks.

Negotiations with Iran are proceeding by phone, Trump has told reporters at the Oval Office.

Australian authorities are seeking an update on citizens who may have been on board a flotilla of 58 ships allegedly intercepted by Israeli authorities as it headed towards Gaza.

China has agreed to resume jet fuel exports to Australia following negotiations with Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Beijing.

King Charles and Queen Camilla met with some of the first responders of the September 11 attacks and families of victims at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced a grilling over the nation's ballooning war expenses during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

And Donald Trump has reposted an image suggesting the Strait of Hormuz be named after him.

Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad urged the public to cut consumption, calling "conservation and saving" a general principle "and a religious duty," as he dismissed the impact of the US naval blockade.

"The enemy will achieve nothing through a naval blockade of Iran," Paknejad said, according to Iranian official media.

He said there was "no worry" about the steady supply and distribution of fuel, adding that oil industry personnel are working around the clock to prevent any disruption in services.

"We saw during the war that many countries resorted to managing and reducing consumption due to fuel shortages," Paknejad added.

The price of Brent crude oil futures has reached its highest price in years, surging to $US126 a barrel in the last few hours.

The commodity peaked at US$126.10 ($177.30) early this afternoon, capping a 14.5 per cent hike in the last 24 hours. It has since eased to around $US124 a barrel.

It comes as hopes for an end to the Iran war were doused by new reports of a possible escalation by US President Donald Trump.

Trump is expected to receiving a briefing on new military options for combat in Iran, in an effort to expedite stalled negotiations, Axios reported this morning.

The US has continued its blockade of Iranian ports while the Strait of Hormuz, is closed, whicis also pushing oil prices higher.

Earlier this week Brent Crude was trading under $110 a barrel. That figure was around $70 before the start of the war in late February.

Barrels of Brent crude have not topped $126 since Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, will be heading home following a record-setting deployment of more than 300 days that included participating in the war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The Ford will be leaving the Middle East in the coming days and returning to its home port in Virginia in mid-May, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive military movements.

The ship's deployment broke the previous record set by the USS Lincoln during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was out at sea for 294 days. The Ford just went through its 295th day of deployment today.

The ship made headlines for the wrong reasons when images of the "meals" served on board for its crew went viral.

One included a a mostly empty lunch tray with a single scoop of shredded meat and one tortilla.

Reported with Associated Press.

The former Lebanese president who once signed a short-lived deal with Israel ending decades of a state of war now says the time is right to try again.

Amin Gemayel spoke with The Associated Press in an interview after the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the 1980s.

The 84-year-old Gemayel, who rarely speaks to international media, acknowledged that much has changed as Lebanese leaders again pursue talks with Israel and as a fragile ceasefire holds.

"There is an opportunity for the Lebanese government to go into negotiations to reach a solution that achieves peace, security, and stability in Lebanon," Gemayel said.

"That would also satisfy the feelings of Lebanese who yearn for the bare minimum of calm, peace, stability, and an end to the war."

The head of the organisation overseeing a treaty banning nuclear testing warned that if the United States, Russia or any other nation goes ahead with a test, other nations will follow.

"That is a spiral that we do not want to see start, because it may never be able to be stopped," Robert Floyd, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, told UN correspondents.

Late last year, both the United States and Russia, which have the world's largest nuclear arsenals, threatened to resume nuclear testing, setting off global alarm bells.

When the treaty known as the CTBT opened for signatures 30 years ago, Floyd said over 2000 nuclear tests had taken place, but since then there have been fewer than a dozen, including six by North Korea.

Floyd issued his warning as the United Nations this week began its review of a separate treaty meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. The review is taking place against the backdrop of the Iran war, which President Donald Trump said was necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The Dpeartment of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) has confirmed it is seeking an update on the status of Australians who may be part of a flotilla of ships heading towards Gaza that was allegedly intercepted by Israeli authorities.

The flotilla of 58 boats, organised by the group Global Sumud Flotilla, set off from Barcelona, Spain, on April 12 to try and break the blockade on Gaza.

However, off the coast of Greece, the group claims 15 of their ships had been intercepted by Israeli military boats and intercepted.

The group claimed Israeli authorities had "threatened kidnapping and violence" and that "dozens" of people had been detained.

"Those on board were abducted. This is a crime," a statement on Instagram said.

It is not known how many Australians were on the flotilla or who were on the boats allegedly intercepted, but DFAT confirmed in a statement to nine.com.au it was seeking information quickly.

"Australian officials are urgently seeking an update on the status of Australians involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla from Israeli authorities," a DFAT spokesperson said.

"While our officials stand ready to provide consular assistance to any affected Australians, our ability to provide support in Israel and Palestine is limited at this time due to the conflict in the Middle East.

"They also urged Australians not to travel on such flotillas, and to donate humanitarian aid through legal channels instead.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released data showing a surge in oil import prices in the latest quarter.

Overall, import prices dropped 0.3 per cent for the March 2026 quarter on this time last year.

While many import products were more costly, the stronger Australian dollar kept prices flat.

Petroleum and petroleum products recorded the highest quarterly rise since June 2022 quarter at 9.8 per cent.

"The closure of the Strait of Hormuz created a surge in oil prices in the latter part of March quarter 2026," ABS head of prices statistics Sue-Ellen Luke said.

"Fuel is a significant contributor to import prices. Petroleum and petroleum products were over a tenth of the value of Australia's total imports last financial year."

Donald Trump has reposted an image suggesting the Strait of Hormuz be named after him.

The Truth Social account Women For Trump posted the image initially, and it clearly caught the president's eye.

The image shows an overhead map graphic of the Strait of Hormuz, with oil tankers pictured moving freely through.

On the water is written Strait of Trump.

The strait's actual name, Hormuz, has a debated meaning. It's been suggested it means Place of Dates, or that it is a representation of the Zoroastrian deity Ahura-Mazda's name in archaic Persian, or even a localisation of the Greek word for cove - "hormos".

Trump's second administration has been marked with the president's desire to put his name on monuments and institutions, such as the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.

Big crowds have once again gathered in Tehran for a pro-Iran rally.

Many in the crowd clutched portraits of slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or his son Mojtaba, the country's new Supreme leader.

The rally was also to commemorate the Imam Reza, the 8th Shiite Muslims' Imam.