‘We support action’: PM backs in US strikes on Iran

In his first public comments since America targeted three Iranian nuclear sites, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for de-escalation.

The prime minister has backed US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while also urging a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

In his first public comments since the US launched strikes on the facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, Anthony Albanese said a larger war must be avoided.

“The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

“We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war. We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy.

“Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program.

“Iran didn’t come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations.”

The comments came after the prime minister convened a National Security Committee meeting in Canberra on Monday.

Mr Albanese defended his decision to hold off on directly commenting on the US strikes until more than 24 hours after the American bombing mission.

“We aren’t a central player in this conflict, that’s just a fact, and what we do is we run an orderly, stable government,” he said.

“This was unilateral action taken by the United States.”

Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Washington had not made any requests of Australia.

But she would not say if the joint US intelligence surveillance base, Pine Gap, in the Northern Territory had played a role in the operation.

Senator Wong also said the number of Australians who had registered for help to leave the region had jumped to about 2900 in Iran and 1300 in Israel.

Acting opposition foreign spokesman Andrew Hastie said the coalition had wanted to see Iran come to the negotiating table and submit to a full inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“We support those strikes, and now we want to see dialogue and diplomacy,” he told ABC Radio.

“We want to see a peaceful settlement from here, and I’m just not going to speculate on what steps might be taken next.”

Department of Foreign Affairs staff were evacuated from the embassy in Tehran last week and are helping Australian citizens and residents who make it through Iran’s border with Azerbaijan.

Senator Wong has previously said that while Australia has deployed Australian Defence Force personnel to assist with evacuation efforts, they aren’t there for combat purposes.

Iran’s parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz, where about a quarter of the world’s oil transits through, prompting fears prices could push to $US100 a barrel or more.

Despite questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said combat troops weren’t the way forward.

“There’s no way we would put troops on the ground,” he told AAP.

“I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do.”

Australia has previously provided some resources around shipping lanes, but during the recent outbreak of violence, the government has refused to entertain the possibility of military involvement.

However, the American strikes have also been labelled as a “terrifying and catastrophic escalation” with the Greens warning further violence from Israel or the US would impact ordinary Iranian civilians.

By: Kat Wong, Tess Ikonomou and Andrew Brown/AAP