Albanese government to evacuate Australians stranded in the Middle East amid Iran-Israel war

The Albanese government has shuttered the nation’s embassy in Iran and launched a major bid to bring stranded Australian citizens home from the Middle East.

Australian soldiers board a Royal Australian Air Force plane at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland bound for the Middle East. Picture: RAAF

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The Albanese government has shuttered the nation’s embassy in Iran and launched a major operation to evacuate Australian citizens from the Middle East, as US President Donald Trump granted Tehran a two-week window to abandon its nuclear program ­before he decides whether to launch US strikes on the country.

Mr Trump said he believed there was a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Tehran, sparking a fresh European push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in talks with Iran’s foreign minister in Switzerland.

The evacuation mission, announced amid ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran on Friday AEST, includes the deployment of two RAAF passenger airlifters together with air force and army personnel and the relocation of consular staff to Azerbaijan to support Australians fleeing across the border from Iran.

More than 2000 Australians and their family members are seeking help to leave Iran, while another 1200 have sought evacuation from Israel.

Israeli police teams and bomb disposal experts begin operations after a missile reportedly launched from Iran struck the city of Beersheba in southern Israel, on Friday. Picture: Israeli Police / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the mission, dubbed Operation Beech, was currently unable to airlift Australians from either country but the government was preparing plans for the reopening of the region’s airspace.

She said the decision to order the evacuation of Australian diplomats from Tehran was not taken lightly and the nation’s ­ambassador, Ian McConville, would remain in the region to support the government’s response to the unfolding crisis.

“It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran; a decision I directed after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister,” Senator Wong said.

“We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now if it is safe. Those who are not able to do so or who do not wish to leave are advised to shelter in place.”

She revealed she had a phone call overnight on Thursday with her US counterpart Marco Rubio, who said Mr Trump’s two-week window for Iran had opened the way for “de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy”.

Australian Army soldiers hold a pre-flight safety brief in preparation for Operation Beech at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. Picture: ADF

In a statement read by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the President said: “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”

The pause followed days of escalating rhetoric by Mr Trump, who had warned the US was preparing for a “total and complete victory” unless Tehran agreed to an unconditional surrender.

The President has been weighing the use of US “bunker buster” bombs to destroy Iran’s underground Fordow uranium-enrichment facility as the US masses air and naval power in the Middle East to support potential combat operations and protect US personnel in the region.

Late on Friday AEST, the White House was waiting on the results of talks between the British, French, German and EU foreign ministers, and their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy – who met with Mr Rubio in the White House on Thursday to discuss the unfolding situation – said it was time to bring the conflict to an end.

“A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” he said.

“Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.“

Israel on Friday struck Iranian targets with 60 fighter jets, hitting a nuclear research facility and multiple missile production sites.

“These sites were built over years and were the industrial centre of gravity of the Iranian Ministry of Defence,” the Israel Defence Forces said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military had destroyed at least half of Iran’s missile launchers while also eliminating key military leaders and paramilitary forces.