Radio National Breakfast

Supply chain issues linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East have dominated political conversations all week.

And in breaking news this morning, the US President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April the 6th, saying he'll hold off on bombing Iran's energy plants.

• GUEST: Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
• PRODUCER: Isadora Bogle

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, United Arab Emirates has been on the receiving end of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

So far Australia has deployed a surveillance aircraft and more than 80 personnel to the region. 

More than 500 service stations around the country are without at least one type of fuel, as the Prime Minister calls a national cabinet meeting for Monday to better co-ordinate action between states and the Commonwealth.

Business groups have warned energy access - and skyrocketing costs - are already pulling the handbrake on growth and productivity, calling for government to put every possible response on the table.

• Guest: Andrew McKellar, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Producer: Jason Whittaker

Power outages and rattling roofs, northern WA residents have had a sleepless night as Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle tracks along the coast. 

The storm, which has already made landfall in Far North Queensland and the Northern Territory, is now impacting the west Pilbara coast.

We hear from the Exmouth Mayor before day breaks.

It's been almost a month since Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran and this week's diplomatic push for a ceasefire has made no progress. 

Meanwhile, the White House has repeatedly claimed that Operation Epic Fury has left Iran's military capabilities in ruins - but some experts remain sceptical. 

• GUEST: Kelly Grieco, Senior Fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Centre
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says the US is making its offer of security guarantees for a peace deal in Ukraine conditional on Kyiv giving up the Donbas region to Russia - something the president has consistently refused to do.

Mr Zelenskyy also accused Russia of trying to blackmail the US by offering to stop sharing military intelligence with Iran - if the US does the same with Ukraine.

Analysts - including Edward Fishman from the Council on Foreign Relations - says Russia has already made significant financial gains from the conflict in the middle east. 

Where does this leave Ukraine and its pursuit of US security guarantees? 

• Guest: Kira Rudik, Ukrainian MP and leader of the Holos party
• Producer: Pip Cook, Eddy Diamond

A diplomatic push for a ceasefire in the Middle East appears to have faltered overnight, with Iran describing the 15-point peace plan - proposed by the US - as one-sided and unfair.

The proposed plan includes a complete termination of Iran's nuclear program and strict new limits on its missile arsenal.

But Iranian officials say its government won't end the war unless the United States pays reparations and recognises Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz.

It's been almost a month since US and Israeli air strikes killed Iran's Supreme leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. 

• Guest: Aaron David Miller, former Middle East negotiator for the United States and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Producer: Pip Cook

For years, Anthony Venn-Brown sought solace in his Pentecostal faith — preaching sermons in mega-churches around the country.

But Anthony hid a struggle with his sexuality, suffering through exorcisms and conversion therapy to correct what he thought was wrong.

After 22 years he resigned from the ministry to live openly as a gay man, becoming a support for other therapy survivors and an advocate for outlawing conversion practices.

Guest: Anthony Venn-Brown, founder and CEO of Ambassadors and Bridge Builders International (ABBI)

The price of oil remains around a hundred dollars a barrel as the middle east conflict continues.

It comes after US President Donald Trump backed down on his 48-hour threat to "obliterate" Iran's energy facilities — if Iran didn't allow ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

• Guest: Edward Fishman is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Maurice R Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of 'Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare'.
• Producer: Pip Cook, Grace Stranger

The energy shock triggered by the war in Iran has exposed the vulnerability of Asia's oil and gas supply chains and reshaping everyday life for many in the region.

About 80 per cent of crude oil and oil products shipped through the Strait of Hormuz are destined for Asia - and nearly 90 per cent of all liquefied natural gas.