Australia has officially supported the recent coalition strikes on Iranian nuclear sites—led by the United States and including precision air attacks by Israel—while stressing the urgent need for de-escalation and a return to diplomatic channels.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that “the world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon,” affirming Australia’s backing for any action that prevents such an outcome. She cited a report by the UN nuclear watchdog confirming Iran’s enrichment of uranium to “almost military level.”
However, Wong warned that the risk of a broader Middle East war remains high. “Now is the time for diplomacy. Now is the time for de-escalation—and that call is to all parties,” she said, confirming that while Australia had not been asked to provide military assistance, its shared intelligence facility at Pine Gap had not been engaged in the operation.
The strikes, which began on 13 June, targeted multiple facilities involved in uranium enrichment and nuclear research in Tehran, Isfahan and Fordow. Satellite imagery released in the days following showed significant damage to centrifuge halls and support buildings, marking one of the most direct attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure since Operation Opera in 1981.
In response to the escalating crisis, the National Security Committee—comprising the Prime Minister, Wong, Defence Minister and other senior cabinet members—will convene in Canberra on Monday morning to assess further steps and contingency support for Australians in the region.
Australia’s stance goes further than many of its Five Eyes partners. While the UK, Canada and New Zealand have all condemned Iran’s nuclear advances, they have stopped short of explicitly endorsing the strikes.
In contrast, Australian Opposition figures have also voiced support. Andrew Hastie, acting Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson, urged Tehran to “come to the negotiating table to verify where that 400 kilos of enriched uranium is,” while emphasising that “we do not want a wider war.”
Yet not all political voices back the action. Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge condemned the strikes as a dangerous escalation by a “warmonger” administration in Washington, warning “you cannot bomb your way to peace.” Former Ambassador Paul Foley echoed calls for an immediate diplomatic reset, cautioning that “a deal is still possible if both sides want one badly enough.”
Meanwhile, Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran for security reasons, relocating staff to neighbouring Azerbaijan and advising roughly 2,900 Australians in Iran to evacuate if they can. Similar measures are in place to assist 1,300 Australians in Israel as that country’s airspace reopens.
As the Middle East teeters on the brink, Canberra’s delicate balancing act—publicly supporting strikes aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear progress while championing urgent diplomacy—highlights the precarious moment the international community faces. The coming days will test whether military action deepens the crisis or if dialogue can be rekindled before conflict spirals further out of control.
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