Australia backs US strike on Iran to prevent nuclear weapons
The prime minister has backed US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while also urging a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
In his first public comments since the US launched strikes on the facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, Anthony Albanese said a larger war must be avoided.
“The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
“We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war. We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy.
“Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program.
“Iran didn’t come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations.”
The comments came after the prime minister convened a National Security Committee meeting in Canberra on Monday.
Albanese defended his decision to hold off on directly commenting on the US strikes until more than 24 hours after the American bombing mission.
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“We aren’t a central player in this conflict, that’s just a fact, and what we do is we run an orderly, stable government,” he said.
“This was unilateral action taken by the United States.”
Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged all parties to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue to prevent a “full-scale war” in the Middle East.
“We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, and that is what this is,” she told Nine’s Today show on Monday.
“It’s what happens next is what the world is focused on,” Wong said.
She said Washington had made no requests of Australia.
Wong also said the number of Australians wanting to leave Iran has risen. Photo: AAP
But Wong would not say whether or not the joint US intelligence surveillance base, Pine Gap, in the Northern Territory played a role in the operation.
Wong also said the number of Australians who had registered for help to leave the region had jumped to about 2900 in Iran and 1300 in Israel.
Department of Foreign Affairs staff were evacuated from the embassy in Tehran last week and are helping Australian citizens and residents who make it through Iran’s border with Azerbaijan.
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“We had to make a difficult decision to tell our officials to leave the country,” Wong said.
Wong has previously said that while Australia has deployed Australian Defence Force personnel to assist with evacuation efforts, they aren’t there for combat purposes.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce said it “goes without saying that Iran was up to no good”.
“This could go south in the most tremendous way for Australia and I did see a sense of gloating and hubris from the United States,” he told Seven’s Sunrise show on Monday.
“That is all right if it is the end of the game, but if this takes the next step we are all going to be involved,” Joyce said.
Despite questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said combat troops weren’t the way forward.
“There’s no way we would put troops on the ground,” Sinodinos said.
“I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do.
“I’d be very surprised if there’s anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict.”
Australia has previously provided some resources around shipping lanes, but during the recent outbreak of violence, the government has refused to entertain the possibility of military involvement.
While the Coalition has insisted it does not want war, acting foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said it supported the US bombings as a “necessary action to take”.
However, the American strikes have also been labelled a “terrifying and catastrophic escalation” with the Greens warning further violence from Israel or the US would affect ordinary Iranian civilians.
Former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia’s response to the bombings would be defining.
“Australia should welcome US bombing of Iran’s nuclear program,” Downer posted on X.
“We’ve been a US ally since 1951 as well as a consistent supporter of nuclear non-proliferation.”
