Australia will send spy jet, missiles to help UAE fend off Iran
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Australia’s military support would help the Gulf countries defend themselves against unprovoked attacks from Iran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SYDNEY – Australia will send a surveillance aircraft to the Middle East and supply the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with advanced air-to-air missiles to defend against Iranian attacks and keep local airspace open in order to help stranded Australians return home.
The UAE alone has shot down more than 1,500 rockets and drones since Iran began targeting states around the Persian Gulf, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement.
The rising wave of dangerous and destabilising attacks puts civilians at risk, they said.
Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail spy plane, carrying 85 personnel, which will be operational by the end of the week, Mr Marles told reporters in Canberra on March 10.
The Wedgetail is expected to be deployed for an initial four weeks and provide long-range reconnaissance capability to help secure Gulf airspace.
“What this aircraft will be doing is very similar to the role that it has played in recent times from Poland in respect of the defence of Ukraine,” Mr Marles said.
Australia will supply the UAE with advanced medium range air-to-air missiles.
The US-Israeli attack on Iran
Iran has targeted Israel and Gulf states, widening a conflict that has drawn more than a dozen nations into the fray.
On March 9, US President Donald Trump said the Iran campaign will “end soon”
Meantime, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister said Tehran will end the conflict only if it is assured it will not be attacked again.
Mr Albanese and Mr Marles reiterated that Australia will not send ground troops to Iran and that its involvement is solely for defensive purposes.
“These are defensive weapons and I want to make that clear,” Mr Marles said.
“That is the basis upon which our personnel are being deployed and this equipment is being deployed. It is for the defence of the countries of the Gulf, in particular, UAE, where there are significant numbers of Australians.”
About 115,000 Australians are in the Middle East, including roughly 24,000 in the UAE, fuelling what officials describe as an unprecedented consular challenge.
Australia has also granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian female soccer players
The Prime Minister and Defence Minister said in their statement that Australia has supported action aimed at preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and preventing it from continuing to threaten peace and security.
“Our position remains that we do not want to see the conflict continue to escalate,” they said. “We call on all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and to protect civilian life.” BLOOMBERG
