Iran-US war latest: Dubai shuts airport as Trump warns Nato faces ‘bad future’ if allies don’t help open Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump’s energy secretary has warned that the Iran war could likely last for several more weeks and deflected a question about whether it was possible that oil prices could hit $200 a barrel.

Chris Wright appeared on several programs on Sunday as he presented the Trump administration’s domestic response to a war in Iran that despite the president’s proclamations seems far from over just yet.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Wright was questioned by moderator Kristen Welker about a prediction from Iranian officials that oil would soon reach $200 per barrel.

Dubai authorities brought under control this morning a fire caused by a drone attack near the city’s international airport that forced a temporary suspension of flights, though no injuries were reported, they said.

“A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport affected one of the fuel tanks,” the Dubai Media Office said on X.

Traffic was temporarily halted on road and tunnel links with the airport, police said, while Emirates airline suspended flights to and from Dubai.

Some flights were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, the Dubai Media Office said on X.

Japan has no plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort ships in the Middle East, prime minister Sanae Takaichi said, after Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Ms Takaichi told parliament this morning.

The US president’s call in a social media post for US allies, including Japan, to help protect oil and gas shipments through the strategic waterway puts Tokyo in a difficult position because, while it relies heavily on Middle East energy, its war-renouncing constitution limits the scope of overseas military operations it can conduct.

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has conducted anti-piracy operations in waters near the Middle East, but those missions were policing operations rather than combat missions against state actors.

Japan can deploy its military overseas to respond to what it determines to be an existential threat to the nation, but that would be politically difficult and a high legal threshold for Takaichi’s government to justify.

“I would like to engage in solid discussions based on Japan’s views and position regarding the need for early de-escalation,” she told lawmakers, ahead of her Washington visit.

Australia will not send ships to the Strait of Hormuz, federal infrastructure minister Catherine King said this morning.

Ms King told RN Australia: “It’s clear, obviously, the longer that the war continues, the greater the impacts will be felt, not just by us, but obviously the Asia-Pacific region overall. We’ll continue to monitor those events as they occur.”

“But at this stage, all of the ships that are planned to come into Australia are coming in. The fuel supply is holding,” she added.

However, she admitted that there were local distribution issues, but the national fuel stockpile would hold Australia “in good stead”.

Dubai international airport temporarily suspended flight operations after a fire broke out following a ‌drone attack this morning near the airport.

The fire has been contained with no injuries, authorities said.”A drone incident in the vicinity of ⁠Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the ​fuel tanks”, the Dubai media office said ​on X.

Emirates airline also announced in a post on X the temporary suspension of flights to and ​from Dubai.

Gulf Arab states have faced more ​than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since the outbreak ‌of ⁠the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February, with targets including US diplomatic missions and military bases but also critical Gulf ​oil infrastructure, ​ports, airports, ⁠hotels and residential and office buildings.

Dubai, seen for decades as a safe and serene haven, now finds itself on the Foreign Office no-go – along with Abu Dhabi, just down the road in the UAE, and Doha in Qatar. So what does this mean for the future of tourism in the Gulf?

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder finds out.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley has this report:

Millions of people recently watched a video posted by the White House showing US strikes against Iranian targets. The clip didn’t just resemble Call of Duty: it mixed real strike footage with footage from the game itself, complete with “killstreak” animations designed to reward performance and simulate achievement.

Governments are increasingly communicating war using the visual language of video games and internet memes.

Daniel Baldino has this report: