Middle East crisis live: Trump claims war will end in ‘two or three weeks’; Rubio says US should ‘re-examine’ Nato relationship

<p>US president says responsibility for reopening strait of Hormuz rests on countries relying on it; secretary of state says Washington must review whether Nato alliance is still serving the US well</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/31/trump-launches-tirade-against-european-countries-not-joining-iran-war"><strong>‘Get your own oil’: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran war</strong></a></p></li></ul><p><strong>Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, while Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is set to address the nation in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the war.</strong></p><p>“The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/31/trump-launches-tirade-against-european-countries-not-joining-iran-war">war in the Middle East</a> is having an extreme impact on the global economy. Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that,” the treasurer told reporters on Wednesday.</p><p><strong>Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration"> Trump administration</a>, </strong>a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.</p><p><strong>Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year</strong> on renewed hopes that the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/iran">Iran</a> war could soon end. South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.</p><p><strong>Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East.</strong> The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel.</p><p><strong>The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/israel"> Israel</a>.</strong> It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile.</p><p>Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said <strong>areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack</strong> on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, reporting “attacks on Tehran” without immediately providing more details.</p><p><strong>A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airport</strong>, according to its state news agency, which said no casualties had been reported, while in the last few hours <strong>Saudi Arabia</strong> has said it intercepted and destroyed two drones.<strong> Bahrain</strong> also said early on Wednesday that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack. A tanker also came under attack off the <strong>coast of Qatar</strong> early on Wednesday, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.</p><p><strong>Israeli strikes in southern Beirut and a nearby area have killed seven people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.</strong></p><p><strong>An American journalist has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/01/shelly-kittleson-us-american-journalist-kidnapped-iraq">kidnapped in Baghdad</a> by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said. </strong>The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.</p><p><strong>The Wall Street Journal is <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/uae-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-9836ecbb">reporting</a> that</strong> <strong>the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force. </strong>Citing Arab officials, the newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN security council resolution that would authorise such action.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/middle-east-live/live/2026/apr/01/iran-live-updates-trump-claims-war-will-end-rubio-nato-relationship">Continue reading...</a>

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