Top strategic analyst says US-Australia alliance ‘in its worst shape' after government explored legality of Iran Strikes
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was slammed for his belated support of US President Donald Trump's coordinated strikes against three significant Iranian nuclear facilities.
Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong fronted the media on Monday morning more than 24 hours after the attack, saying they backed the US' strikes but stressed they did not want to see the regional conflict escalate into all-out war.
However, in a major development to the saga, Finance Minister and close confidant of the Prime Minister Katy Gallagher revealed on Thursday that the government had ordered advice on whether the US' strikes against Iranian nuclear sites were legal.
'Look, obviously advice has been sought by – I mean, in government, as we are working through some of these issues, we get a whole lot of advice across the government,' Senator Gallagher said on ABC RN.
When questioned if acquiring legal advice reflected thinking within the government that the US' strikes were illegal under international law, Ms Gallagher said that it was a routine formality.
'Well, we receive – for example, when the NSC (National Security Committee) meets, we get a whole lot of advice from across government about a whole range of things, and we don't really go into those matters publicly.'
Peter Jennings, one of the county's most eminent strategic analysts said the Albanese government seeking legal advice on the matter was 'not the act of a friendly ally' and stated he was 'surprised that they need to ask a question at all.'
'I think it's very clear that America was launching these strikes in defence of Israel and in defence of America itself, and they were attacking a regime which has literally since 1979 been calling for death to America and death to Israel,' Mr Jennings said.
Mr Jennings, who served as executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute from 2012-22 said that by focussing on the legality of the strike the government was 'wilfully blind to the realities of what's going on in the Middle East right now'
He outlined the move would be considered extremely provocative by US officials and would 'do serious damage to Australia's position in DC.'
Ms Gallagher refused to share the nature or outcome of the advice and insisted that the government endorsed the US' strikes against Iran.
'I'm not going to go into the advice the government receives, but I can be clear, and I think ministers who have appeared on your program and the PM and the Foreign Minister have been very clear that we support the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities,' she said.
Mr Jennings said the emerging rift between the two countries was extremely concerning and stated 'the alliance is in its worst shape since the Whitlam/Nixon period which was more than 50 years ago.'
'One wonders then if they are trying to find a reason to distance themselves from the American strikes, because frankly you can create legal advice which will support the strikes, or also that says the strikes were illegal,' Mr Jennings said.
'This was an unnecessary step, something that the government could easily have supported on the basis of Iran's nuclear program and its international support of terrorism.'
'I just think it just shows that they're not trying to be an ally, they're trying to be a critic, and this is just not going to work with the Trump administration.'
Mr Albanese, unlike British PM Keir Starmer, was not notified of the US' attacks on Iran before they were carried out, with the Prime Minister confirming he had not spoken to the US President after he abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada a day before the two were due to meet.
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