US–Israel–Iran War: Oil drops as Trump announces 10-day delay to attacks on Iran energy sites
Oil prices have fallen as US President Donald Trump pushed back a deadline for US attacks on Iran’s energy facilities.
The gains on Friday only partially pared the previous day’s price surge amid growing anxiety that the conflict will last far longer than first thought.
Brent crude was down 1.5 percent at 02:30 GMT on Friday, selling at $93.07 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down 1.8 percent, at $106.12.
Brent is up almost 50 percent in price since the war on Iran began, while WTI has risen about 40 percent.
US–Israel–Iran War: Australia Defends West Asia efforts after Trump criticism
Australia’s leader said on Friday (March 27, 2026) it was not consulted over the war with Iran which was having a “massive global economic impact”, responding to President Donald Trump’s swipe the U.S. ally was not doing enough.
Trump has urged nations to dispatch warships to secure crucial oil supply routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia was in close contact with Gulf states under attack from Iran, providing a surveillance aircraft to help defend the United Arab Emirates, where many Australians live.
“There is no request been made to Australia that has not been agreed to,” Mr. Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
Source: AFP
US–Israel–Iran War: Japan To Ease Coal Power Restrictions Amid Middle East war
Japan’s government plans to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants, as it seeks to ease an energy strain caused by war in the Middle East.
Takahide Soeda, an official from the Japanese industry ministry, confirmed the accuracy of the reports to the AFP news agency.
He stated that the plan would be formally presented during an expert panel meeting scheduled to begin at 11am local time (02:00 GMT) on Friday.
US–Israel–Iran War: Trump Says Iran Asked Him For Seven-Day Energy Strike Pause - He Agreed To 10 days
Donald Trump says Iran asked him for a pause of seven days on striking energy plants, but that he gave them ten, and Tehran was "very thankful". Earlier, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would extend a pause on striking Iranian energy plants from five days to two weeks.
The pause was set to expire tomorrow, but this new extension means the pause will be in effect until April 6.
Speaking on the phone to Fox News just now, Trump says the US is in conversations with Iran which are going "fairly well". "They said to me, very nicely, through my people: 'Could we have more time?'," the US president tells the hosts of Fox's The Five. "They asked for seven days]. And I said, 'I'm going to give you ten', because they gave me ships. You know, we talked about the eight ships. You know, the 'present' that I talked about the other day."
US–Israel–Iran War: Iran’s Parliament working on bill to impose fees on ships in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Parliament is working on a bill to formalise the fees it is reportedly charging on some ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported.
The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that “Parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees
