Good morning. Thomas Morgan here with Friday's AM NewsMail.

In breaking news, Donald Trump has placed a 100 per cent tariff on pharmaceutical imports, threatening one of Australia's top exports to the US worth $1.6 billion.

On the Middle East, our correspondent Matthew Doran is here to give us his wrap-up of another frenetic 24 hours of developments, as Australia's initial bipartisan support for the war shows signs of wavering. 

Plus, new research sheds light on the serious risks of drinking alcohol, and a chance to test yourself on the week's big news stories.

Hello, ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran here, writing to you from Jerusalem. It's coming up to the end of the fifth week of the war which has shaken this region and the world.

For those who had been hoping the US president's speech about the war with Iran would illuminate some path out of the mess engulfing the Middle East, they would have been sorely disappointed.

While restating vague comments such as war goals being close to met, and the end of fighting being a few weeks away, we didn't learn much.

And the inflammatory rhetoric the US president is prone to wheeling out unlikely helped his cause.

Donald Trump, along with his Israeli friend Benjamin Netanyahu, are adherents to the principle of 'peace through strength.' But while that might work against some adversaries, Iran is not just any foe.

The US president is threatening to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Age, where they belong" in the next few weeks.

In the competition to win friends and influence people, and bring the Iranian population along with you, that may not be the smartest language to use.

Of course, as with much Mr Trump says, it's a type of commentary more rooted in style rather than substance.

The Iranian response, while also unsurprising, shows where the challenge remains. And why Gulf states will be disappointed with the remarks.

Iran, quick out of the blocks, continued its attacks across the region and promised even more intense strikes to come. The UAE revealed it had been forced to intercept 19 missiles and 26 drones in the last 24 hours alone.

The UN is already warning Middle Eastern nations may have lost almost $US200 billion in the first month of the war.

That's where the vague statements about ending the war come into contact with reality for some of America's closest regional partners. They're absolutely copping it in this war, caught in the middle of much bigger players engaged in a seemingly intractable fight.

Thanks for joining me. You can keep track of the latest updates from Iran and around the world throughout the day via our live blog.

Thank you to Matthew for that. Our correspondents in the region will continue filing on the latest developments from the region across the Easter long weekend. Meanwhile, here's what else we're tracking on the conflict and its impacts here at home:

• At his disposal: Donald Trump is vowing to hit Iran hard. So how can he do it? The US military assets stationed across the Middle East give him options. 
• Shifting rhetoric: Both sides of Australian politics welcomed the US's initial strikes on Iran. But it's becoming clear that optimism has fallen away.
• Fuelling those concerns: Already small pockets of Australia are feeling the ripples of a conflict 12,000 kilometres away. And it could get even worse, if one of Australia's biggest suppliers of jet fuel curtails shipments in coming months.
• So how high will petrol prices go? The ceiling exists, but comes with a heavy, heavy cost — the destruction of demand, writes our chief business correspondent Ian Verrender. And Michelle Grattan says that troubling prospect should make a future fuel plan essential for the Albanese government. 

• 'Wake up call': Even occasional heavy drinking can pose a serious health risk to the one-in-three adults with a type of liver disease, new research shows.
• Pam Bondi: Donald Trump's attorney-general is fired. US media says the president has grown increasingly frustrated over her handling of the Epstein saga. 
• Alarming trend: A growing number of young Australians are suffering from ACL injuries. Scientists now think they know what's behind the increase.
• Stunning show: Australia's skies will be graced by not one but two bright comets this month. Here's how you can see them.

"Dez has wreaked havoc and evil to so many, and for what?"