It’s the kind of war he’s promised for years to avoid. Then just last week, Donald Trump said he’d take the fortnight to consider his options. But on Sunday, under the cover of darkness, the US president announced American forces had struck Iran.

The secret and brutal assault on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, using so-called "bunker buster" bombs, brought the United States directly into the conflict between Israel and Iran.

While Trump has certainly claimed the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear capability, the full extent of the damage remains unclear – so too how the Islamic Republic may retaliate, including a potential move to choke the world’s oil supplies.

Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the fast-escalating developments in the Middle East.

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Donating blood is an important community service – one that’s desperately needed for patients, in life-threatening conditions. But up until now, those identifying as gay, bisexual or transgender had effectively been banned from donating. A lift on that ban will now significantly expand Australia’s donor pool at a time when blood - specifically plasma - is most needed by patients. But for many in the LGBTQ+ community, the changes are long overdue, and the ban has been a major source of stigma. Today, health reporter Kate Aubusson and Matthew Mottola, on why the ban has been lifted, and why it took so long.

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This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to the G7 summit with high hopes of scoring a sidelines-meeting with US President Donald Trump. The PM wanted to discuss the AUKUS pact, and the tariffs that the US government has put on Australian aluminium and iron ore among other things.

But events overtook, and Trump left the summit to deal with the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Albanese did not get his meeting. He didn’t even get a phone call cancelling the meeting.

So what does this mean for our relationship with our supposed closest ally? Will Albanese be able to stalk Trump at the upcoming NATO summit instead? And was it really the loss of face some critics said it was?

Plus, attempts to reform the Liberal party, both at the NSW and the federal level.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss, is federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos and climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley.

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