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March 2, 2026
Anthony Albanese has cautioned against "regional escalation" following the extraordinary Israel-US strikes on Iran. as Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she "does not expect" Australia to be involved in future operations.
However, a defence expert said the strikes should serve as a warning for Australia to immediately increase its defence capability, as a reflection of the "changed world that we live in".
The Prime Minister on Sunday urged "diplomatic action" and a "swift resolution' to the conflict, land criticised Iran for retaliatory bombings in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates While the Iranian regime faces an existential crisis following the confirmed killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mr Albanese described further regime change as a "matter for the Iranian people".
He said Khamenei's death "will not be mourned" and the "aggressions and "escalation" was "consistent with the nature of the regime".
"We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security," he said.
"The fact that (Iran) orchestrated attacks here in Australia on the other side of the world underlines the threat that this regime presented to the rule of law and to international norms of behaviour."
His comments referred to the expulsion of Iran's ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, in August last year, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was found to have orchestrated at least two domestic attacks the firebombing of Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, and Lewis' Continental Kitchen, a kosher deli at Bondi in Sydney.
Australians in the Middle East have been urged to leave the region as soon as possible and to seek emergency consular assistance Mr Albanese warned Australia had a reduced capacity to repatriate citizens in Tehran, after it pulled its embassy staff from Iran following Mr Sadeghi's expulsion, but would do "all we can to keep Australians safe".
Defence Force Chief Admiral Damon Johnston confirmed on Sunday all Defence personal deployed in the Middle East, which was the scene of retaliatory strikes, were "safe and accounted for at this time".
According to figures from the Department of Defence, about 16 personnel are deployed in Bahrain as part of Operation Manitou, a maritime security effort.
Prominent defence expert Jennifer Parker said boosting defence capabilities amid global uncertainty was "insurance against a changed world", with the likelihood of conflict increasing She said the current time line of lifting investment from 2.05 per cent to 2.33 per cent by 2033 was too slow.
"Not backing that up with a significantly enhanced military capability is a huge vulnerability and it's incoherent," she said.
Coalition defence spokesman James Paterson, who said the US and Israel should be given "great credit" for their actions against Iran, said decisions on essential capabilities could not be "deferred into the never never", or risk becoming "victims of necessary investment in future AUKUS submarines".
"In an age of missiles and drones, Australia's major cities and northern bases are dangerously exposed by a lack of f integrated air and missile defence," he said.