Australian Government Rules Out Military Role in Iran Conflict

‘While Australia’s not directly involved in current military strikes, we’ve been clear of our utter rejection of the brutal Iranian regime,’ said Albanese.

Plumes of smoke rise over the skyline following explosions in Tehran, Iran, on March 1, 2026. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

The Australian government has indicated that it does not plan to get involved in the conflict in Iran despite support for the U.S.-Israel military operation.

On March 2, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia did not participate in the previous strikes on the Iranian regime and would not do so in the future.

“We all want peace in the region. And what I would say is obviously Australia’s not central to the issues in the Middle East,” she said.

Wong’s statement echoed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s view when he addressed the parliament on the same day.

“While Australia’s not directly involved in current military strikes, we’ve been clear of our utter rejection of the brutal Iranian regime,” Albanese told parliament (pdf). 

“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, and we support the Iranian people being allowed to determine their own future.”

Albanese also noted that the Australian government’s first priority was the safety of Australians in the region.

The remarks came after joint strikes by the United States and Israel resulted in the death of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28.

The Islamic regime has since launched missile and drone attacks against Israel, U.S. military bases, and civilian targets in Gulf states, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

The escalating conflict has prompted widespread airspace closures, leaving many Australians stranded in the region. It is estimated that around 115,000 Australian citizens still remain in the Middle East.

Opposition Supports Government’s Position

Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson agreed with the government’s position that Australia will not participate in the conflict.

“I don’t think there’s any need for us to be directly involved at this stage, as far as I’m aware from public statements made by the government, there’s been no requests and they’re not anticipating any requests,” Paterson told ABC Radio on March 3.

“This U.S. administration is unlike previous administrations which sought to build broad international coalitions for actions like these. They’re quite happy to use force alone or with a small group of allies.”

Shadow Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on March 6, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Paterson also did not provide an estimate of how long he believes the conflict with Iran will last.

“It’s a dangerous game to predict these things but President Trump has said that from his point of view the campaign and could last for four to five weeks,” he said.

“The Iranian regime, although weakened, still is a formidable military force and will have significant stocks of ballistic missiles and drones and they will continue fighting, I suspect as long as they maintain effective control in Iran.”

At the same time, Paterson said the Coalition supported the actions taken by the United States and Israel.

“We assess it’s in Australia’s national interest to further degrade the ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program of Iran. Because Iran is a malignant state actor, it is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” he said.

Defence Minister Says Australians Safe Following Strike at AFD Headquarter

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Richard Marles has confirmed that Australians are safe after a strike at the Al Minhad Air Base, which serves as an operational headquarter and logistic hub for the Australian Defence Force in the Middle East.

The attack on the base near Dubai was part of the Iranian retaliation to the U.S. and Israeli strikes.

“All the Australians who are there are safe and accounted for. There were no injuries to Australians,” he said. 

“We’ve got more than 100 personnel across the Middle East. Most of them are in the UAE where we’ve had an operational headquarters at Al Minhad for many, many years now. But they are all safe and accounted for.”

Marles also indicated the Australian government was “working on scenarios” in relation to the large number of Australians in the Middle East.

“We’re working through contingencies but I really don’t want to speculate on them, because it clearly is a function of what plays out and that is very uncertain,” he said.

“The most significant limitation on being able to do anything is the restriction of airspace. And when airspace begins to open up, our expectation is that the quickest flights that will resume will be commercial options.”