Sunrise host Nat Barr asks the question every Aussie wants answered as she grills Defence Minister over Israel-Iran conflict

7NEWS

5 hours ago

Sunrise host Nat Barr has questioned if Australia could be drawn into the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the two countries continue tit-for-tat airstrikes.
The Middle East conflict appeared to escalate overnight after five days of hostilities as US President Donald Trump called for an 'unconditional surrender' from Iran.
The Israeli military launched attacks on Friday, with the aim of wiping out Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Iran vowed to 'open the gates of hell' in retaliation.
Barr asked Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles — who is also Defence Minister — about Australia's role in the conflict, on Sunrise on Wednesday.
'We have the UK sending Royal Air Force jets into the Middle East. Our allies are on a war footing. Where does that leave us?' Barr asked.
Marles replied Australia is focused on diplomatic solutions.
'We want to see a de-escalation here. We do understand what is in play. We are very concerned about the prospect for this escalating into a wider conflict,' Marles said.
'There are many Australians in both Iran and Israel and, obviously, we are very focused on them right now.'
Barr asked Marles if Australia would follow a US-led Coalition into war.
'I'm not about to speculate on what may or may not happen there,' Marles said.
'Actually, I take America at face value, which is that their posture right now is defensive in nature — it's about defending their people and assets within the region.
'Right now, our call is for a de-escalation, to seek diplomacy and dialogue, and our preparations right now are very much focused on providing for assisted departures of Australians who are in the region.'
Trump's warning
US President Donald Trump says US patience is wearing thin, but it has no immediate intention to 'take out' Iran's leader while indicating he could dispatch diplomatic envoys as the Israel-Iran air war rages for a fifth day.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said meanwhile that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and eventually hanged after a trial.
'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens,' Katz told top Israeli military officials.
Explosions were reported in Tehran and in the city of Isfahan in central Iran, while Israel said Iran had fired more missiles towards it and air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and southern Israel.
The Israeli military said it had conducted strikes on 12 missile launch sites and storage facilities in Tehran.
Trump predicted on Monday that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran.
But he also said he might send US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet Iranian officials.
Trump had said his early departure from a G7 summit in Canada had 'nothing to do with' working on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and that something 'much bigger' than that was expected.
In a further post on Tuesday, the US president said Khamenei's whereabouts were known but 'we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' while adding: 'Our patience is wearing thin.'
Vance said the decision on whether to take further action to end Iran's uranium enrichment program, which some countries suspect is aimed at developing a nuclear bomb, 'ultimately belongs to the president'.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was no indication that the US was about to enter the conflict.
Trump had not yet decided whether the US military will intervene on Israel's side, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
Trump met for 90 minutes with his National Security Council on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the conflict, a White House official said.
Iran on the verge of a nuclear weapon
Israel launched its air war after saying it had concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons.
Israel does not deny or confirm that.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran's nuclear development is disabled, while Trump says the Israeli assault could end if Iran agrees to strict curbs on enrichment.
Israel says it now has control of Iranian air space and intends to escalate the campaign.
Iran has so far fired nearly 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, with about 35 missiles penetrating Israel's defensive shield and making impact, Israeli officials say.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate and foreign intelligence service Mossad's operational centre early on Tuesday.
There was no Israeli confirmation of such attacks.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed.