Australia ‘conscious’ of Iran threat, says Anthony Albanese

Australia is urging against any further escalation of tensions in the Middle East amid the first retaliatory strikes by Iran against Israel, as Anthony Albanese declared he was ‘very conscious of the threat’ posed by Tehran.

Anthony Albanese says he is ‘aware of the threat posed by Iran’. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Australia is cautioning against further escalation of tensions in the Middle East amid the first retaliatory strikes by Iran against Israel, as Anthony Albanese said he was “very conscious of the threat” posed by Tehran.

Iran fired more than 100 drones towards Israel on Friday afternoon AEST in response to the attack launched by the Jewish state earlier in the day against Iranian nuclear targets.

As Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Israel would now face a “painful destiny”, Mr Albanese called for a restarting of “dialogue” between the two nations.

“It is concerning (to see) any escalation in the region,” the Prime Minister said from Fiji.

“We want to see a dialogue. We of course are very conscious of the threat of Iran becoming a nuclear state would represent to peace and security in the region as well.”

Mr Albanese said the US had been “playing an important role” in seeking to broker peace in the region in recent months, with Donald Trump demanding Iran stop its uranium enrichment program.

But those discussions, which began in April, stalled in recent weeks.

While the US said it did not have any involvement in the strikes, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the attack could not have taken place “without co-ordination and approval of the United States”, and warned Washington would also be “held responsible”.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was “alarmed by the escalation between Israel and Iran”.
“This risks further destabilising a region that is already volatile,” Senator Wong said in Adelaide on Friday morning.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Picture: NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

“We call on all parties to refrain from actions and rhetoric that would further exacerbate tensions. We all understand the need, the threat of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program. It represents a threat to international peace and security.”

Senator Wong called on both parties to “prioritise dialogue and diplomacy”.

“In terms of Australians in the region, please monitor Smartraveller closely for the latest travel advice on the Middle East,” she said.

The Foreign Minister confirmed she had spoken to Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, on Thursday, when the US had begun pulling personnel out of Iran following the breakdown of the nuclear talks.

Mr Maimon said Israel would “not wait for disaster”, lauding the “precise campaign” that had targeted Iran’s nuclear enrichment and weaponisation infrastructure.

“We have acted to prevent (disaster). In defending ourselves, we also help protect the security of many others,” he said in a statement

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Iran needed to stop supporting terrorists and to heed the calls to end uranium enrichment.

“We … call on Iran to stop its sponsorship of terrorism, including backing Hamas and Hezbollah,” she said in a statement.

“Iran must also guarantee that it will not pursue or acquire nuclear weapons.”

Fellow Coalition frontbencher Andrew Bragg said Israel was “defending itself” against Iran’s increasing nuclear capabilities.

“I think all fair-minded people across the globe would agree that it would be a bad idea, a very bad idea, for Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” Senator Bragg told Sky News.

“And so that is what Israel has sought to prevent from happening, because if we were in Israel’s shoes, we would not accept the position that a hostile neighbour, which was determined to destroy us, would be armed with a nuclear bomb.”

The escalating conflict comes ahead of world leaders meeting in Canada next week for the G7 summit, where the latest Middle East eruption is sure to be discussed.

Former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma said the crisis would “dominate the G7 agenda and take over anything else that was meant to be discussed during that time”.

“We’ve seen a series of Israeli airstrikes against Iran, but all the indications are this will not be a stand-alone attack,” he told ABC.

“This is part of a wave of military action designed to basically degrade or disable Iran’s nuclear program and parts of its ballistic missile program and its nuclear expertise. And that’s going to unfold over several days.”