US not at war with Iran despite ‘Operation Midnight Hammer' attack, says Pentagon
In March, the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before Congress that the US assessment was that 'Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ali] Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.'
Even so, Vance told NBC's Meet the Press that the strikes had 'really pushed [Iran's] program back by a very long time. I think that it's going to be many, many years before the Iranians are able to develop a nuclear weapon.'
The Pentagon did not provide any new details about Iran's nuclear capabilities, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday claimed – again without evidence – that Iran has highly enriched uranium in sufficient quantities to make at least nine or 10 bombs.
Rubio also claimed the world was safer and more stable than it had been prior to the US attack.
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Negotiations could be back on, says Vance
Vance claimed the US had 'negotiated aggressively' with Iran to try to find a peaceful settlement and that US President Donald Trump made his decision after assessing the Iranians were not acting 'in good faith.'
'I actually think it provides an opportunity to reset this relationship, reset these negotiations and get us in a place where Iran can decide not to be a threat to its neighbours, not to a threat to the United States and if they're willing to do that, the United States is all ears,' Vance said.
He said it would make sense for Iran to come to the negotiating table and give up their nuclear weapons program. 'If they're willing to do that, they're going to find a willing partner in the United States of America,' he said.
However, Iran showed no indication of any desire to negotiate, describing the US attack as a violation of its sovereignty and international law, and vowing to defend itself through retaliatory measures.
Caine said the US military had increased protection of troops in the region, including in Iraq and Syria. 'Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,' Caine said.
The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defence systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can detect and shoot down enemy missiles.
Much of the world is absorbing the consequences of the strikes and the risk that they could lead to more fighting across the Middle East. Airstrikes starting on June 12 by Israel that targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and generals prompted immediate retaliation from Iran.
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The White House had said in a statement from Trump on Friday morning (AEST) that the president could take as long as two weeks to determine whether the US would enter the fray in support of Israel. In the end, it took less than a weekend for America to strike.
The region has already been aflame for more than 20 months with wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and a toppled dictator in Syria.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Washington would be held responsible for whatever actions Tehran may now take in response. 'They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,' he said at a news conference in Turkey. 'I don't know how much room is left for diplomacy.'
Both Russia and China condemned the US attack. Araghchi said he would travel to Moscow for a Monday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement warned about the risk of the conflict spreading beyond the Middle East to 'a global level.'
Israeli attacks paved way for American assault
The US benefited from Iran's weakened air defences as it was able to conduct the attacks without resistance from Iran, the Pentagon said.
'Iran's fighters did not fly and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission,' Caine said.
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The Advertiser
5 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
US bombing of Iran started with a fake-out
As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks. As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks. As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks. As Operation "Midnight Hammer" got underway on Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers took off from their base in Missouri and were noticed heading out toward the Pacific island of Guam, in what experts saw as possible pre-positioning for any US decision to strike Iran. But they were a decoy. The real group of seven bat-winged, B-2 stealth bombers flew east undetected for 18 hours, keeping communications to a minimum, refueling in mid-air, the US military revealed on Sunday. As the bombers neared Iranian airspace, a US submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles. US fighter jets flew as decoys in front of the bombers to sweep for any Iranian fighter jets and missiles. The attack on Iran's three main nuclear sites was the largest operational strike ever by B-2 stealth bombers, and the second-longest B-2 operation ever flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by al Qaeda. The B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, each weighing 13,600 kg. The operation involved over 125 US military aircraft, according to the Pentagon. From the US military's perspective, the operation was a resounding tactical success. The Iranians were unable to get off a single round at the American aircraft and were caught completely flat-footed, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Sunday. "Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission," Caine said. "We retained the element of surprise." Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites targeted sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was more confident. "It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program," he said, standing alongside Caine in the Pentagon briefing room. Midnight Hammer was highly classified, Caine said, "with very few people in Washington knowing the timing or nature of the plan." Many senior officials in the United States only learned of it on Saturday night from President Donald Trump's first post on social media. Hegseth said it took months of preparations to ensure the US military would be ready if Trump ordered the strikes. Caine said the mission itself, however, came together in just a matter of weeks.
The Advertiser
5 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Eyes on Iran reply after US 'obliterates' nuclear sites
The world is awaiting Iran's response after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 13,600 kg US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordo nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. But perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the US superpower, it had yet to follow through on its main threats of retaliation against the United States itself - either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. Trump, announcing the strikes in a televised address, called them "a spectacular military success". "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier," he said. Still, his administration stressed that no order had been given for any wider war to overthrow the hardline Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. "The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program." US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the US intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf where nearly a quarter of the oil shipped around the world passes through. Closing it will require approval from the Supreme National Security Council. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a Fox News interview, warned Iran on Sunday against retaliation for the US strikes, saying such action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." Rubio separately told CBS the United States has "other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective." He later added: "There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless - unless they mess around." Israel, which started the war with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, has long said its aim was to destroy Iran's nuclear program. But only the United States possesses the massive bombs and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them - designed to destroy subterranean targets like Iran's uranium enrichment plan at Fordo, built beneath a mountain. Satellite images obtained by Reuters following the attack appeared to show damage both to the mountain above the site and to entrances nearby. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say over 400 people have been killed since Israel's attacks began, mostly civilians. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days, the first time its projectiles have penetrated Israel's defences in large numbers. The elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 40 missiles at Israel in the latest volley overnight. Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran's supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career. The world is awaiting Iran's response after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 13,600 kg US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordo nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. But perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the US superpower, it had yet to follow through on its main threats of retaliation against the United States itself - either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. Trump, announcing the strikes in a televised address, called them "a spectacular military success". "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier," he said. Still, his administration stressed that no order had been given for any wider war to overthrow the hardline Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. "The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program." US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the US intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf where nearly a quarter of the oil shipped around the world passes through. Closing it will require approval from the Supreme National Security Council. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a Fox News interview, warned Iran on Sunday against retaliation for the US strikes, saying such action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." Rubio separately told CBS the United States has "other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective." He later added: "There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless - unless they mess around." Israel, which started the war with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, has long said its aim was to destroy Iran's nuclear program. But only the United States possesses the massive bombs and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them - designed to destroy subterranean targets like Iran's uranium enrichment plan at Fordo, built beneath a mountain. Satellite images obtained by Reuters following the attack appeared to show damage both to the mountain above the site and to entrances nearby. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say over 400 people have been killed since Israel's attacks began, mostly civilians. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days, the first time its projectiles have penetrated Israel's defences in large numbers. The elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 40 missiles at Israel in the latest volley overnight. Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran's supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career. The world is awaiting Iran's response after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 13,600 kg US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordo nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. But perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the US superpower, it had yet to follow through on its main threats of retaliation against the United States itself - either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. Trump, announcing the strikes in a televised address, called them "a spectacular military success". "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier," he said. Still, his administration stressed that no order had been given for any wider war to overthrow the hardline Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. "The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program." US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the US intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf where nearly a quarter of the oil shipped around the world passes through. Closing it will require approval from the Supreme National Security Council. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a Fox News interview, warned Iran on Sunday against retaliation for the US strikes, saying such action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." Rubio separately told CBS the United States has "other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective." He later added: "There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless - unless they mess around." Israel, which started the war with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, has long said its aim was to destroy Iran's nuclear program. But only the United States possesses the massive bombs and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them - designed to destroy subterranean targets like Iran's uranium enrichment plan at Fordo, built beneath a mountain. Satellite images obtained by Reuters following the attack appeared to show damage both to the mountain above the site and to entrances nearby. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say over 400 people have been killed since Israel's attacks began, mostly civilians. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days, the first time its projectiles have penetrated Israel's defences in large numbers. The elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 40 missiles at Israel in the latest volley overnight. Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran's supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career. The world is awaiting Iran's response after President Donald Trump said the US had "obliterated" Tehran's key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. With the damage visible from space after 13,600 kg US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordo nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. But perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the US superpower, it had yet to follow through on its main threats of retaliation against the United States itself - either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. Trump, announcing the strikes in a televised address, called them "a spectacular military success". "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier," he said. Still, his administration stressed that no order had been given for any wider war to overthrow the hardline Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. "The president authorised a precision operation to neutralise the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program." US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the US intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf where nearly a quarter of the oil shipped around the world passes through. Closing it will require approval from the Supreme National Security Council. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a Fox News interview, warned Iran on Sunday against retaliation for the US strikes, saying such action would be "the worst mistake they've ever made." Rubio separately told CBS the United States has "other targets we can hit, but we achieved our objective." He later added: "There are no planned military operations right now against Iran unless - unless they mess around." Israel, which started the war with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, has long said its aim was to destroy Iran's nuclear program. But only the United States possesses the massive bombs and the huge batwing B2 bombers that drop them - designed to destroy subterranean targets like Iran's uranium enrichment plan at Fordo, built beneath a mountain. Satellite images obtained by Reuters following the attack appeared to show damage both to the mountain above the site and to entrances nearby. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the US strikes. Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say over 400 people have been killed since Israel's attacks began, mostly civilians. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days, the first time its projectiles have penetrated Israel's defences in large numbers. The elite Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 40 missiles at Israel in the latest volley overnight. Trump had veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it, at one point musing publicly about killing Iran's supreme leader. His decision ultimately to join the fight is the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career.
Perth Now
16 minutes ago
- Perth Now
'No way' Australia will deploy combat troops in Iran
Australia is considering its next steps after one of its closest allies joined with Israel to bomb Iran, exacerbating volatility in the Middle East. After days of growing escalation, the US unleashed strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday (AEST) as President Donald Trump declared "there will be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran". The Australian government has urged all parties to prioritise diplomacy and dialogue since Israel first launched strikes in mid June. Though some have raised questions over whether Australia should do more to support its ally, former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos said the government was unlikely to get involved in combat. "There's no way we would put troops on the ground," he told AAP. "I don't think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do. "I'd be very surprised if there's anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict." Australia has previously provided some resources around shipping lanes but during the recent outbreak of violence, the government has refused to even entertain the possibility of military involvement. When Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed the government would deploy defence assets to assist evacuation efforts, she repeatedly emphasised that they were not there for combat purposes. And in the immediate aftermath of the US strikes, a government spokesperson said they "note the US president's statement that now is the time for peace" while continuing to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. While the coalition has insisted it does not want war, acting foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said the opposition supported the US bombings and claimed it was a "necessary action to take". However, the American strikes have also been labelled as a "terrifying and catastrophic escalation" with the Greens warning further violence from Israel or the US would impact ordinary Iranian civilians. Former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia's respond to the bombings would be defining."Australia should welcome US bombing of Iran's nuclear program," Mr Downer said on X. "We've been a US ally since 1951 as well as a consistent supporter of nuclear non-proliferation." About 2600 Australians in Iran are seeking assisted departures from the region, alongside about 1200 in Israel as the government urges travellers not to venture to either nation. Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs have been evacuated from the Tehran embassy and are helping Australians leave through the border in Azerbaijan. Mr Sinodinos warned the future of Iran was uncertain as strikes could lead to the collapse of the country's regime.
