US secretary of state Marco Rubio is set to face a litany of questions today about the Trump administration’s fragile or stalling diplomatic efforts around the world when he appears for back-to-back hearings on Capitol Hill for the first time since the Iran war began.

The former Republican senator will sit before House and Senate committees to make the state department’s annual budget request.

But the focus is likely to shift quickly to the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which has been further tested in recent days by back-and-forth attacks.

Cabinet members, including Rubio, have defended president Donald Trump’s decision to launch the conflict despite promises over the years not to engage in “forever wars” in the Middle East. That work has been made more difficult by Trump’s shifting goals for the conflict.

While Rubio is testifying before Congress for the first time since the Iran war started on 28 February, he took part in a classified briefing for lawmakers days after the first US and Israeli strikes.

He faced Democrats’ anger over the lack of congressional approval but strong support from most Republicans for taking action against one of America’s oldest adversaries.

JetBlue has revised its second-quarter fuel cost projections upward, a move driven by persistent shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz that continue to pressure the global aviation sector amid escalating jet fuel prices.

The critical Strait, a crucial conduit for nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, has been impacted by US-Israeli actions against Iran. Before these strikes in February, jet fuel averaged $85 to $90 a barrel.

By late May, it had surged to approximately $142 per barrel, according to the International Air Transport Association. This volatility has compelled airlines worldwide to increase passenger fares and baggage fees to offset rising expenses, alongside reducing flight frequencies and routes to conserve fuel.

Zarah Sultana has called on the British government to reverse its travel ban on pro-Palestinian commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur.

In a post on X, the member of parliament said the UK government banned both individuals from entering the country “over their criticism of Israel”.

“Meanwhile, war criminal Isaac Herzog, whose statements were cited in the ICJ [International Court of Justice] genocide case against Israel, was welcomed at Downing Street with open arms,” she said.

The ban was “part of a wider and deeply alarming pattern in which pro-Palestine voices are subjected to disproportionate scrutiny, restriction and intimidation”, she said in a letter to home secretary Shabana Mahmood.

US president Donald Trump reportedly lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu during a heated telephone conversation over Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Lebanon.

The US president is said to have told Netanyahu, “You’re f***ing crazy” because of its recent strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to one US official who summarised the call to Axios.

Trump also yelled at Netanyahu, asking: “What the f*** are you doing?”

Another source privy to the discussion summarised part of Trump’s comments as “everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Axios reported.

Following the exchange, Netanyahu’s office released a statement asserting that Israel’s position “remains the same”.

‘Republican lawmaker Sheri Biggs defended president Donald Trump’s war on Iran and told Americans they should leave the country of they don’t support the move.

The South Carolina representative was asked if she thinks the Iran war will overshadow the midterms in November, to which she declared that the “bottom line is … Iran cannot have nuclear weapons”.

She told Newsmax: “The president is putting America first, and it’s not about politics. This is about the security of our nation. And the hypocrisy is overwhelming.”

“It’s OK for a Democrat president to try to address the issues in Iran, but it’s not OK for President Trump or the Republican majority to try and address this?” she asked.

“It’s complete hypocrisy. We have to put America first. And as I’ve said before, if you don’t love this country, get out.”

Oil prices held on to most of the previous session’s sharp gains in early trade on uncertainty over the status of ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran and the potential reopening of the ​Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures inched up 6 cents, or 0.06 per cent, to $95.04 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate fell 17 cents, or 0.18 per cent, to $91.99 a barrel.

Both benchmarks rose more than 5 per cent in the previous session but pared gains after ​US president Donald Trump said he had not been told that Iran was suspending talks with Washington and that Israel ​had agreed to pull back any troops that were preparing to attack southern Lebanon.

New Zealand has joined partners including Australia and the EU in imposing travel bans on three “extremist Israeli settlers”, the foreign minister said.

Winston Peters, in a statement this morning, said Itamar Yehuda Levi, Harel David Libi, and Eliav Libi “actively worked to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank”.

“The actions of these individuals threaten peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians and drive the region further into crisis,” he said, adding that New Zealand’s policy is to support a two-state solution for Palestinians.

“This action is against three individuals whose use of violence and displacement is destabilising the West Bank,” Peters added.

US president Donald Trump has yet again criticised the American media in a late-night post on Truth Social over their coverage of the Iran war.

The president wrote: “If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag.

“… and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary ‘Documents of Surrender,’ and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close.

“The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!”