Penny Wong backs Israeli and US strikes on Iran as Labor group decries ‘sycophantic capitulation to militarism’ | Iran

Australia has called on Iran to stop retaliatory attacks on countries in the Middle East after the US and Israel bombed Iran and reportedly killed religious leader Ali Khamenei.

Asked about the legality of attacks on Iran, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was up to Australia’s allies to explain the “legal basis for the attacks”.

“I leave it to the United States and Israel to talk about the legal basis for the attacks,” Wong said on Sunday.

“What I can say to Australians is that Iran has been a destabilizing force in the region for decades. It has launched attacks on Australia, and I think we all understand that this problem did not start yesterday.”

The Australian government and opposition quickly offered support to US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening Australian time after the two countries attacked Iran.

Iran subsequently launched attacks on Israeli and US bases in the region, prompting Australia to update travel advice for countries in the region.

On Sunday morning Wong said: “Australia supports action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security.”

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“We weren’t told in advance. You wouldn’t expect us to, but you can clearly see there was a lot of discussion,” he said.

“We are not at the center of the problems in the Middle East, but it is clear that we play a role in the international community.”

Australians stuck in Iran and Israel have been urged to register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australians should leave Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE if it is safe to do so.

Wong left open the possibility of government-backed repatriation flights for Australians stranded in the area, but noted that airspace was closed in the immediate aftermath of the bombings and there were other aviation disruptions.

Wong said Sunday morning that Iran must “end its indiscriminate attacks on other countries in the region.”

“We need to avoid broader regional tension if possible,” he said.

“We have seen attacks in the region, including in the UAE and Tel Aviv, and we call on Iran to stop these attacks.”

Wong said Australia was not involved in military operations. He said Australian forces were not expected to play any role. The foreign secretary did not say whether Australian intelligence facilities, including those at Pine Gap, were used.

The cabinet’s national security committee met on Sunday and is expected to meet again in the coming days.

Members of the Labor Party Against the War criticized the government for supporting Trump and Netanyahu.

Boss Doug Cameron said: “Albania’s support for Israeli and US attacks on Iran shows that we are completely incapable of acting independently of Trump and Netanyahu.”

“There was a time when the Labor Party sought peace, not war. That period is long gone. The leadership had no need to sycophantically surrender to militarism.”

Greens leader Larissa Waters described the government’s support for the bombing as “disgraceful” and warned against Australia being dragged into another US-led war.

“Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal attacks last night caused chaos in the Middle East,” he said.

“This war will not bring security to the brave Iranian people fighting for liberation from the tyrannical regime. We cannot bomb our way to peace.”

Leading opposition figure Andrew Hastie told Sky the bombings were justified.

“Iran is Australia’s enemy. They carry out terrorism off our coasts and are also geopolitically bad actors.”

“They have been seeking nuclear weapons for some time and have killed over 25,000 of their own citizens in the last few months.”

Hastie said Trump “set the conditions for regime change in Iran.”

“There are too many risks, and as a veteran of so-called endless wars, I am very skeptical of forced regime change.”

At least 100 children were killed in an Israeli-US attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, Mizan news agency reported.

In Iran’s missile attack on a building in Tel Aviv, 1 person was killed and 22 people were injured, and 4 people were injured at Dubai international airport.

Strikes were also reported in the city’s upscale Palm Jumeirah district.