A Sydney high-school teacher has been charged after allegedly posing as a teenager online while asking for explicit material from a girl in exchange for money.

Investigations began after the 14-year-old girl's parents reported she had been chatting online with the 29-year-old Newington College music teacher, who allegedly posed as a 17-year-old boy while trying to get the girl to send him sexually explicit material over the internet in exchange for money.

This led to police searching a house in Sydney's north in a pre-dawn raid today, where the man was arrested.

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Multiple electronic devices were seized from the property, and police will allege child abuse material was uncovered.

He was taken to Gladesville Police Station, where he was charged with using a carriage service to groom someone under 16 years old for sex and using a carriage service to access child abuse material.

Commander of the Sex Crimes Squad, Detective Acting Superintendent Karl Leis, said it was "encouraging to know that the child did have conversations with their parents, who in turn alerted authorities".

Police will allege that the conversations began eight days ago, before the parents "promptly" alerted authorities.

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"At no point in time upon becoming aware of the matter was the child put at any risk or put in danger," Leis said.

"We will allege that the 29-year-old actively took steps online to reach out to this vulnerable 14-year-old girl who was not known to him."

Police say the amount of money allegedly offered to the girl was "not a significant sum".

"If there are any children who have been victims of this particular [alleged] predator, come forward [and] speak to their parents to report these matters to the police," Leis said.

The man was refused bail to appear in court today.

Police say they are "thoroughly investigating" the matter.

In a statement, Newington College said they were made aware of the matter today and had terminated the casual staff member's employment.

"Police have informed us that no Newington students, or students we have been recently associated with, have been identified as having been involved," the statement reads.

The college said the teacher "completed all mandatory child protection training" and held a valid Working with Children's Check with no complaints about his behaviour.

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The US is unlikely to launch a ground invasion of any of Iran's islands, an Australian expert on the Strait of Hormuz has said.

Earlier today one of Iran's top politicians said they were anticipating a ground invasion of one of its islands.

Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf announced the news via X this morning.

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"Based on some data, Iran's enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands," Ghalibaf said.  

"All enemy movements are under the full surveillance of our armed forces. 

"If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks."

But Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia Jennifer Parker told nine.com.au she was sceptical the US would put boots on the ground.

"What either side says right now, I take it with a grain of salt," she said.

"I think that there would be a lot of cons to taking control of any of the key islands near Iran."

Troops on the ground in the Strait of Hormuz would be particularly vulnerable to Iran's drones.

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"If the objective is to demonstrate Iran's economic vulnerability, then of course, seizure of Kharg Island is an option.

"If I was the commander of this, I would think that that would be a tactical and operational mistake."

A blockade of Iranian ships coming to and from Kharg Island would be just as effective.

Parker served as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy for 20 years and was deployed to the Middle East three times.

She said the US seizing any islands off Iran's mainland would not secure the Strait of Hormuz for shipping.

Ghalibaf did not specify who he meant by Iran's enemies or which regional country he was referring to.

But Iran is surrounded on several sides by nations with which it has long and animus histories.

The most obvious target Ghalibaf might be alluding to is Kharg Island, a vital infrastructure hub from which 90 per cent of Iran's oil is exported.

Because mainland Iran lacks substantial deepwater ports, oil is piped to the island where it is loaded onto tankers.

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The US has already conducted air strikes on the island, and Axios reported on Saturday that Trump was considering an invasion there.

Iran has been laying land mines as well as moving more troops and air defences to Kharg Island.

The rough, rocky terrain and substantial layered defences of the island indicates that if Iran were to resist a US invasion there, it would be bloody.

But there are other islands that are of strategic value to Iran.

Located in the Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm Island is another likely potential target.

The island reportedly contains underground tunnels hiding anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft.

It remains one of the most strategically vital locations for Iran if it wants to continue cutting off the Strait of Hormuz to foreign shipping.

Abu Musa is another potential target.

The island in the Persian Gulf contains significant military infrastructure. The United Arab Emirates has also staked a claim on the island, but Iran currently occupies it.

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Yesterday the US confirmed it was sending 2000 paratroopers to the Middle East.

The 82nd Airborne Division is considered an elite unit that was among the first boots on the ground in Normandy on D-Day in 1944.

Earlier today Iran dismissed any talks of a ceasefire with the US.

The US had drafted a 15-point proposal that would end the conflict.

But Iranian officials refused to consider the deal.

"Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met," the official was quoted as saying.

Iran has thus far publicly rejected any overtures of peace and denied claims from Donald Trump that negotiations were taking place.

READ MORE: Iran looking to turn Strait of Hormuz into massive toll booth

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Downpours, flooding, and slips are possible tonight and Friday.

It came as a fuel tanker carrying 100 million litres of refined petrol and diesel finally arrived in Sydney.

Months later, StudyLink has admitted to overpaying Thoral again on accident.

Heavy rain, strong gusty winds and flood risk warnings as subtropical storm shifts south.

The Heidi scribe is already used by 1250 ED doctors and front-line staff.

A parent said scared students were hiding in classroom cupboards.

States of Emergency cover Whangārei and the Far North for seven days.

New forecasting suggests a rare super El Niño could form within months and cause dry and extreme weather conditions across the world.

A relatively weak La Niña is currently on the way out and most experts believe an El Niño could arrive by winter.

Now, national and international weather agency data show that it could develop stronger than originally thought.

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https://x.com/Weather_West/status/2029694752199754045

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is anticipating El Niño to reach between 1.3 and 3.1 degrees above the average sea surface temperature.

If it forms at more than two degrees above average, this could create a "super" event.

A super, or very strong, El Niño event can cause catastrophic global weather and is associated with drier and warmer conditions in Australia.

These are considered rare and typically only occur every 10 to 15 years. 

Australia has only been affected by three super El Niño events since 1982, with the most recent in 2015.

While it is still too early to predict an El Niño, Australian and US modelling also point to an El Niño developing in unusually warm waters.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there is a one-in-three chance that the likely El Niño will be strong later this year.

"Even though model forecasts are relatively less accurate this time of year, the increasing odds of El Niño are supported by the large amount of heat in the subsurface ocean and the expected weakening of the low-level trade winds," it said in its latest update.

"If El Niño forms, the potential strength remains very uncertain, with a one-in-three chance that it would be 'strong' during October-December 2026."

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The Bureau of Meteorology did not speculate on the strength of the El Niño but has forecast warmer-than-average sea temperatures in eastern and southern parts of the country from April to June.

Up to three degrees warmer than average temperatures are anticipated for the western Tasman Sea. 

"All models indicate a shift to El Niño is possible by the end of winter, however there is variation on the timing of this transition, with some suggesting development as early as May, while others delay onset until late winter," the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Weather and climate expert Ailie Gallant said the strength of the event will not be clear until around June.

"The European models and the US models and the Australian models at this stage are all forecasting for the central and eastern Pacific to be warmer than normal," the Monash University Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century's associate professor said.

"But there's this thing in climate science called the autumn predictability barrier, which tells us that what we forecast from February through to May is very uncertain.

"So while the tendency is in that direction, being able to say right now whether it will be a weak El Niño or a super El Niño is very premature."

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El Niño, La Niña and neutral are all stages of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation climate cycle, which is an atmosphere and ocean phenomenon in the Pacific that occurs every three to eight years and disrupts weather patterns around the world.

El Niño is linked to drier conditions, while La Niña is associated with wetter conditions.

Gallant said these cycles only form part of the story, and other weather events like cyclones and tropical lows also impact conditions. 

"El Niño tips the scales towards being drier in the east, but individual weather systems can change that on a dime," she said.

"We've had plenty of examples where El Niños have been very, very dry, but we've also had plenty of examples where El Niños have been much wetter than expected."

Last month, meteorologists began forecasting that a weak spell of La Niña that started in November is coming to an end.

The last El Niño event formed in 2023 for the first time in eight years and on the back of a triple La Niña from 2020 to early 2023.

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