SYDNEY – Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that Canberra supported the United States strike on Iran and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.
“The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that,” Mr. Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Mr. Albanese said “the information has been clear” that Iran had enriched uranium to 60% and “there is no other explanation for it to reach 60, other than engaging in a program that wasn’t about civilian nuclear power”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog that inspects Iran’s nuclear facilities, reported on May 31 that Iran had enough uranium enriched to up to 60%, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons.
“Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA, then circumstances would have been different,” said Albanese, referring to limitations on enrichment.
In a series of television and radio interviews on Monday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the strike was a unilateral action by its security ally the United States, and Australia was joining calls from Britain and other countries for Iran to return to the negotiating table.
“We support action that the U.S. has taken to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Wong said in a television interview with Seven Sunrise.
“We do not want to see escalation,” she told reporters in Canberra.
There are around 2,900 Australians in Iran and 1,300 in Iran who are seeking to leave.
Australia closed its embassy in Tehran on Friday, after Wong spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Australia has suspended bus evacuations from Israel after the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but is making preparations for potential evacuations if air space in Israel re-opens, Wong said.
Australia said it has sent two defense planes to the Middle East in non-combat roles to assist civilian evacuations.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Sunday he was examining the evidence surrounding Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called for a return to dialogue, Radio New Zealand reported. – Reuters
