Australia weighs up assisting Gulf states in facing Iran

Australia will consider Gulf states’ requests for assistance in facing drone and missile strikes attributed to Iran, according to Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Speaking to national television ABC, Wong said many states not participating in the war have been attacked by Iran, and that Australia has been asked for help. When asked whether that meant assistance in protecting them from Iranian drone and missile strikes, Wong confirmed. ‘We will follow up on that in line with the position I have outlined, namely that we will not participate in offensive action against Iran, and we have explained that we will not participate in the deployment of ground troops to Iran,’ she said, as reported by AFP, Sunday (6/3/2026). As is known, the United States (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 then responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and several Gulf facilities such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar. These strikes have forced busy Gulf air hubs, including Dubai and Doha, to suspend flights temporarily, leaving passengers stranded. Australia also supported the US-Israel strikes as a necessary measure to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The force has a small military presence in the Middle East, around 100 personnel. Many of them are stationed at the Al Minhad base in the UAE. Although Australian officials say their country has no plan to participate in any military action against Iran, Australia actually has close military ties with the United States. Up to last month, around 70 Australian military personnel were serving on the US nuclear submarine. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that three Australian personnel were aboard the submarine when it sank an Iranian vessel on Wednesday (4/3/2026). According to Albanese, the personnel were aboard the submarine as part of training arrangements under AUKUS. This has been a defence pact for decades.