ABC News Daily

Donald Trump was threatening to wipe out ‘a whole civilisation’, then about an hour before his deadline the US president announced a ceasefire deal had been struck with Iran. 

Iran and the United States will now spend two weeks negotiating a peace plan, but it seems there’s little they can agree on.

Today, Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center on why Trump ‘blinked’ and what comes next.

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Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and a lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University

As a Victoria Cross recipient, Ben Roberts-Smith is one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers.

Now, he’s been charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. 

It comes after he lost a landmark defamation trial in which a judge found that on the balance of probabilities, allegations the former special forces soldier was responsible for, or complicit in the deaths of four detainees in Afghanistan were substantially true. 

Today, international law expert Don Rothwell on the charges, which if proven, could see Ben Roberts-Smith jailed for life.

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Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law at the Australian National University’s College of Law

We know that US President Donald Trump is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to the war in Iran, but who’s in his ear?

From Pete Hegseth to Marco Rubio and JD Vance, they’re each playing a role in executing or trying to explain the rationale for the controversial action in Iran. 

If the war can’t be sold as a success in the end, who in Trump’s cabinet will end up paying the price?

Today, David Smith from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney on Trump’s team and whether any of them know what they’re doing. 

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David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney

Oil and financial markets have been swinging wildly with every social media post from Donald Trump. 

But a pattern of large, well-timed trades placed on commodity and prediction markets just minutes before major Iran war announcements has emerged. 

It’s raising concerns that some investors could be acting on inside information. 

Today, Andrew Verstein an expert on insider trading and law professor at UCLA on the money changing hands.

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Andrew Verstein, Professor of Law, and Faculty Co-Director of the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy at UCLA.

He's sending more troops to the Middle East, while insisting the war in Iran is nearly over. 

So is Donald Trump preparing to pull out or digging in? 

If the US steps back, it's signalled other countries could be left to secure the Strait of Hormuz-- a vital global oil route-- on their own.

Today, defence strategist Kelly A. Grieco on why whatever comes next, the chaos is far from over.

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Kelly A. Grieco, Senior Fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center

With the Easter break approaching, many motorists are wondering if they’ll be able to fill up their tanks and whether it’s worth travelling far from home. The fuel crunch has been triggered by the ongoing war in Iran which is disrupting global oil supply, making availability in Australia increasingly uncertain. Today, energy expert Saul Kavonic on what to expect and why government fuel incentives could make the situation worse.Featured: Saul Kavonic, energy analyst, MST Financial

Could the Iran war lead our economy into a recession?

Past oil shocks have sparked economic downturns and as petrol and diesel prices climb now, it could happen again. 

Today, the ABCs finance expert Alan Kohler on why he thinks this could be one of the great disasters of our lifetime. 

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Alan Kohler, ABC finance expert and host of the “That's Business with Alan Kohler” podcast

With the Iran war sending the price of fuel skyrocketing, the trucking industry is amongst the hardest hit and the costs will be passed on to consumers.

So, are the latest electric trucks up to the job of moving goods around such a large country and can the challenges around cost, infrastructure and range be overcome?

Today, Scott Dwyer from the Institute of Sustainable Futures at UTS on the advances in technology that could help us avoid the worst impacts of the next fuel crisis.

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Scott Dwyer, Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney

Donald Trump is in the midst of a messy war with Iran, but at the same time his sights are set on Cuba. 

The US leader says he’ll be having the “honour of taking Cuba”, which has been crippled by an oil embargo president Trump imposed earlier this year. 

Today, Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban history at the University of Florida on Trump’s next move. 

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Lillian Guerra, professor of Cuban and Caribbean history at the University of Florida

Donald Trump says Iran is negotiating with the US to end the war, but Iran says that’s ‘fake news’.

So, are there efforts underway to bring the conflict to a close or not? And who’s winning the war?

Today, Jonathan Panikoff from the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program on Iran’s stronghold on the Strait of Hormuz and why it will only stop the fighting on its terms. 

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Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council