Six O'Clock News

A senior US counter-terrorism official has resigned from President Trump's government saying he cannot in good conscience support the war in Iran. Also: Some students at the University of Kent are to be offered the meningitis B vaccine, in response to the outbreak in the county. And the spy novelist, Len Deighton, has died at the age of 97.

President Trump has criticised the UK's response to the Iran war and the reluctance of some allies to help break the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Also: Hundreds of students queue at the University of Kent for antibiotics after two people die in a meningitis outbreak. And the government outlines more help for companies to take on young people.

The Iranian Foreign Minister says Tehran has "never asked for a ceasefire" in the war with Israel and America. Yesterday, President Trump said that Iran wanted to make a deal, but that he felt the terms were "not good enough". In Israel, an Iranian missile hits residential areas near Tel Aviv. Also: The government announces police-style measures to tackle fly tipping in England. And: Hollywood rolls out the red carpet ahead of the Oscars.

President Trump urges the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, to help defend the vital shipping route from Iranian attacks. Israel says it's hit more than a-hundred Hezbollah command centres in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, says she has found extra money to offer support to people struggling with higher heating oil costs. Also: The public is invited to vote an new artwork to remember Northumberland's Sycamore Gap tree.

The US has confirmed that all six members of the crew on board a military refuelling aircraft were killed when it crashed in western Iraq. European leaders have criticised the Trump administration for easing sanctions on Russian oil to curb price rises caused by the conflict. UK Petrol prices surpass £1.40 a litre - the highest in 18 months. Also: John Lennon's piano fetches nearly £2.2 million at auction.

Iranian state television has broadcast a statement attributed to the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei – in which he pledges to maintain his country's blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway.Israel is ramping up its offensive against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah – telling many more people in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes. In other news: a woman from Tewkesbury has been jailed for 13 years for keeping a vulnerable woman as a slave, and Lloyds Banking Group is investigating after customers reported seeing other users' transactions on their apps.

Documents released by the government show that Sir Keir Starmer was warned that Lord Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein posed a "general reputational risk" if he was appointed as the UK's ambassador to the US. The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, told MPs that the due diligence process had "fallen short of what was required". The BBC understands that Lord Mandelson maintains he did not act criminally or for personal gain.