Anthony Albanese finally backs Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran

Anthony Albanese has belatedly expressed support for Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear program while distancing his government from the ‘unilateral action’ by the nation’s closest ally.

Anthony Albanese at a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday, his first public appearance since the US attacks on Iran. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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Anthony Albanese has belatedly expressed support for Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear program while distancing his ­government from the “unilateral action” by the nation’s closest ally, amid growing concerns Australia’s influence in Washington is diminishing under Labor.

The Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister Penny Wong fronted the media on Monday morning – more than 24 hours after the US attack – saying they backed the US strikes but did not want to see the conflict escalate into a full-scale war.

The move came after the ­government failed to endorse the strikes on Sunday, calling instead through an ­unnamed spokesman for “de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy”.

Speaking in Canberra less than a week after he was snubbed by the US President at the G7 summit in Canada, Mr Albanese declared: “The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a ­nuclear weapon. And we support action to prevent that. That is what this is.”

As Iran launched fresh strikes on Israel and vowed to disrupt the world oil trade, Mr Albanese brushed off questions on why he didn’t back the US attack sooner, saying he ran a “stable and orderly government” and Australia wasn’t a central player in the conflict.

Senator Wong also pushed back, saying it wasn’t unusual for the government to communicate through its spokespeople.

Speaking on ABC radio, when asked questions on the legality of the US military strikes, she said: “We are all clear that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. We all know what the United Nations nuclear watchdog has said. So, yes, the government does support action to prevent that.”

Mr Albanese refused to say whether Australia’s joint facilities with the US at Pine Gap and North West Cape had played any role in the US strikes, arguing he didn’t talk about intelligence matters and that the attack was conducted by the US alone.

“We’ve made very clear this was unilateral action taken by the United States,” he said, repeating versions of the same response in the face of multiple questions.

In a fresh show of defiance on Monday, Iran warned it would block the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to global oil shipping, and threatened strikes on Americans across the region.

“Every time the Americans have committed crimes, they have received a firm response, and this time will be no different,” Iran’s military head, Amir Hatami, told Iranian state media.

Unlike British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who received ­warning of the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites with “bunker buster” bombs and Tomahawk missiles, Mr Albanese indicated his government had not been forewarned of the strikes. The Prime Minister, who has still not met face to face with Mr Trump, said he had not spoken to the President since Mr Trump skipped their scheduled meeting at the G7 in Canada to deal with the Iran crisis without phoning him to apologise, as he did with India’s Narendra Modi and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum.

A senior government source said the government was scrambling to arrange a sit-down between the leaders, declaring it “a priority”. It was hoped the meeting would not have to wait until ­September, when Mr Albanese had unconfirmed plans to address the UN General Assembly in New York.

The admission came as it emerged Mr Albanese could be beaten to an in-person meeting with the President by his deputy Richard Marles, amid a report Mr Trump was seeking talks at this week’s NATO summit in the Netherlands with the security organisation’s Indo-Pacific partners. Mr Albanese opted not to attend the July 24-25 summit in The Hague, where the President is expected to pile further pressure on US allies to lift defence spending.

Opposition acting foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said Mr Albanese had “been too slow and too silent and too passive” in the wake of the US strikes, and urgently needed to forge a personal relationship with Mr Trump to safeguard Australia’s interests.

“The US is our closest security partner,” Mr Hastie said. “It’s a very close relationship, and that’s why we’re troubled that Anthony Albanese has not been able to establish a personal relationship with President Trump. I hope he flies somewhere to see Donald Trump and start rebuilding that relationship.”

He said the Australian public had deserved to hear from Mr Albanese earlier on the ramifications of Sunday’s attack.

“It affects our economic interests,” Mr Hastie said. “We’ll see oil prices go up – and we import all our crude and refined oil. It affects our diplomatic interests. And it impacts our strategic interests as well, because a secure Middle East means that we have a secure Australia here at home.”

The government is facing pressure from the left over the legality of the US strikes, with Greens foreign affairs spokesman David Shoebridge saying “every credible international lawyer” believed the attacks were a breach of international law.

Mr Albanese’s inability to get a meeting with Mr Trump and his delayed support for the strikes has fuelled growing concerns in Canberra that Australia’s relationship with the US is flailing under Labor.

US Studies Centre chief executive Mike Green said Sir Keir and other world leaders had succeeded in cultivating relationships with Mr Trump by explaining their strategies for dealing with the volatile geostrategic environment.

“(Sir Keir) sought frequent meetings and is using the King to press Britain’s case and Britain’s strategy,“ he said.