Australia could help protect Gulf states from Iran attacks, says foreign minister

2026-03-08 - 01:04

Australia has a small military presence in the Middle East – around 100 personnel, many stationed at the Al Minhad base in the UAE. (EPA Images pic) SYDNEY: Australia will consider a request by Gulf states for assistance against Iranian drone and missile attacks, foreign minister Penny Wong said Sunday. Speaking to national broadcaster ABC, Wong said “we’ve had many countries which are non-participants have been attacked by Iran through this... we have been asked for assistance.” Asked whether that meant assistance in protecting them from Iranian drone and missile attacks, Wong said “correct”. “We will work through that in accordance with the position I have outlined, which is we are not participating in offensive action against Iran, and we’ve made clear we would not participate in any ground troop deployment into Iran,” she said. The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran last week that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a war in the Middle East. Iran responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf states like the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. The attacks have forced busy Gulf hubs, including Dubai and Doha, to suspend flights, leaving passengers stranded around the world. Australia backed the US-Israeli strikes as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It has a small military presence in the Middle East – around 100 personnel, many stationed at the Al Minhad base in the UAE. Officials have said Canberra has no plans to take part in any military action against Iran. But the country has close military ties with the US. As of last month, around 70 Australian military personnel are currently serving on American nuclear submarines, Canberra has said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that three Australian personnel had been on board a US submarine when it sank an Iranian ship on Wednesday. The personnel were on the submarine as part of training arrangements under Aukus, a multi-decade defence pact with Britain and the US, Albanese said.