‘Iran has a choice': Aus' grim warning
Australia's chief diplomat is backing Donald Trump's stance on Iran, saying the Islamic republic 'has a choice' as the US President mulls American intervention.
Mr Trump overnight said he still had not decided if he would order a US strike on Iran but that his patience with the regime had 'already run out'.
It came after he demanded Iran give up its nuclear program and unconditionally surrender.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday 'the world faces a dangerous moment'. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Iranian regime 'has a choice'. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: NCA NewsWire
'We know that conflict in the Middle East historically has led to instability, to security risks beyond the region,' Senator Wong told Seven.
'First, we agree with president Trump that nothing is too late.
'Iran has a choice here, and the choice should be to return to the table and engage in dialogue and diplomacy.
'We see the situation there and as tough as their words might be, I think we all know the situation that they face and it's time for them to return to the table.'
She warned there was a 'risk of regional escalation of this conflict getting larger, spreading, the consequences for all the people's of the region and more broadly the globe'.
Israel and Iran continued trading deadly strikes into the early hours of Thursday.
The week-long fighting has caused civilian deaths on both sides.
About 2700 Australians and their close family members have requested government help to evacuate – a challenge as airspaces remain closed in the region.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed to pulverise Israel.
But with many of Iran's most senior military officials and nuclear scientists dead and most of its key uranium enrichment facilities severely damaged, it is unclear how much longer his regime can continue.
An emergency UN Security Council meeting has been scheduled for Friday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
28 minutes ago
- The Age
Trump has made perfectly clear he'll decide what ‘America First' means, even if MAGA don't like it
Its capture of the Republican Party also means old-school Republicans now float in the MAGA midst, singing from the same song sheet when it comes to the deification of Trump, but harbouring more traditional party views on policy, including geopolitics and foreign affairs. So, someone like the long-serving South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, who believes fervently in defending Ukraine and disarming Iran, has to perform the awkward dance of praising the leader while gently cajoling him to take stronger action against Moscow and Tehran. Likewise for Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has suddenly become the poster boy for US-led regime change in Tehran after appearing on Carlson's program on Thursday (AEST). It was an ideal encapsulation of the wider MAGA debate, pitting the hawk's hawk, Cruz, against hardline isolationist and Putin sympathiser, Carlson. A teaser clip of the appearance went viral, with Cruz unable to answer when asked for the population of Iran. 'You don't know the population of the country you seek to topple?' Carlson asked, incredulous. It was a gotcha question, as Cruz later said, and irrelevant to the substance of the issue: Iran's ambitions for a nuclear weapon, and, in Cruz's telling, its plans to assassinate Trump. But in the MAGA universe, Carlson had landed a hit. And their broader conversation – about whether the Bible compelled them to defend Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel – also struck a MAGA fault line. The relevance of the former Fox host may be questionable (Trump mocked him by saying he should get a TV show so that people might hear what he says), but Carlson remains a significant player in the ecosystem of MAGA activists and commentators like Jack Posobiec, Candace Owens, Laura Loomer and countless others. If you don't follow US politics closely, you may not fully appreciate the extent of the MAGA media world, which runs the gamut from mainstream conservative outlets (Fox) to a far-right fringe of YouTube streamers, podcasters and their guests. It's in these echo chambers that a lot of MAGA thought percolates. When Trump called Carlson 'kooky' on Truth Social, Owens said the president had 'completely fractured his base'. She added that he was appeasing the same neocons who had opposed his nomination in the first place. 'Truly unbelievable,' she said. Not everyone is so strident. Appearing on Bannon's War Room on Thursday, Posobiec – a former navy intelligence officer – pushed the commonly held theory that Trump is simply playing four dimensional chess, beyond the grasp of mere mortals. 'It seems to me that Trump could be pursuing a grand strategy whereby he secures peace in Ukraine and an end to the Iranian nuclear program in one fell swoop by making a deal through Iran to get to Russia,' Posobiec said. Interviewer Dave Brat concurred: 'That sounds right to me, and it sounds like President Trump to me.' Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, co-founder of political action group Turning Point USA, pleaded with the MAGA flock to keep the faith – including by turning off their phones, reading scripture and seeing friends. 'President Trump knows his base. Have some faith in his ability to handle this. His whole life has led to this moment,' Kirk said on X. 'We must trust Trump in this situation.' Indeed, we soon heard from Trump that Carlson had called him to apologise for his remarks, which were 'too strong'. Sound familiar? Last week, Elon Musk phoned Trump to make amends for his many online outbursts amid the pair's spectacular falling out, and then began a grovelling public apology tour. When you're the president – especially when you're this president, who rules his cult as a religious leader, and has compared himself to Jesus and the Pope – that is the kind of loyalty you can command. At least publicly, at least while you're still early in your term. Remember, Trump's own vice-president, J.D. Vance, thought Trump was either a 'cynical asshole' or 'America's Hitler' in 2016. They all come around eventually. 'My supporters are for me,' Trump said on Thursday. 'I don't want to fight either, but if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do. 'Don't forget, we [the US] haven't been fighting. We add a certain amount of genius to everything, but we haven't been fighting.' Loading If Trump does decide to conduct a strike against Iran, it will shock the MAGA movement deeply, but they will almost certainly get over it. Likewise, if he opts not to, and keeps pursuing the 'deal' he has always preferred, it won't necessarily be because the base said so. 'America First' is whatever Trump says it is. He told us so himself.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Everything we know about NSW budget
NSW Treasurer Daniel Moohkey will hand down the Labor government's third budget on Tuesday, with billions of dollars already announced for housing, schools, and police. The budget comes as NSW continues to grapple with a dire housing market following the failed sale of the Rosehill racecourse for what would have been 25,000 new homes. While Premier Chris Minns is yet to reveal his government's 'Plan B' for large-scale housing near the Sydney CBD, he has unveiled plans for expanded crisis housing. The NSW government will also splash hundreds of millions of dollars in the budget on new schools, police and law reform and on the new Bankstown Hospital. NSW Treasurer Daniel Moohkey will unveil the next budget on Tuesday. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Housing NSW Labor will extend tax concessions for build-to-rent housing developments and invest in crisis and homelessness accommodation as part of the 2025-26 budget. Aimed at giving investors long-term certainty, the extension will result in owners being able to access land tax concessions of 50 per cent of assessed land value indefinitely. The reduction was previously set by the former Coalition government to end in 2039, with the extension improving 'feasibility of build-to-rent developments' in NSW. Proposed 'work-in-kind' agreement guidelines will also be released as part of the budget. The agreement allows a developer to dedicate land for public purposes or deliver an infrastructure project instead of paying a Housing and Productivity Contribution. A further $30.4m will be invested as part of the budget into ensuring 'more vulnerable people can access homelessness services and find a safe place to live'. It includes $20m to expand existing crisis and transitional housing, delivering more beds and frontline support to help people in urgent need. A further $10.4m will also be spent over four years on the Bill Crews Foundation, which provides free meals, healthcare, and social and welfare support to people in need. Schools The state government will spend $9bn over four years on school infrastructure, including $2.6bn in the next financial year. The funds will go towards new primary schools in Emerald Hills, Grantham Farm and West Dapto and a high school in Wilton. Major upgrades will also be delivered to public schools across Greater Sydney, including in Newington, the Northern Beaches, Rydalmere, and Bayside. The investment will deliver about 140 new classrooms for about 2500 students, with the Emerald Hills school, near Leppington, to open for more than 500 students. A sketch of the proposed new Bankstown Hospital. Supplied Credit: Supplied The site for the proposed hospital. Supplied Credit: Supplied Police and justice The state government will spend $227m on the NSW justice system as part of the 2025-26 budget. The package includes $100.5m to address rising demand in the correctional system as well as $34.5m for upgrades to the Downing Centre and John Madison Tower courts. A further $48.3m will be spent on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to fund additional solicitors, 'allowing for more prosecutions'. More than $12m will be spent on 15 staff within the Child Sexual Offence Evidence Program and other measures to reduce the burden on child complainants in sexual offence matters. A further $272.7m will also be spent on frontline domestic, family, and sexual violence services as well as $2.3m for the NSW Victims Register reforms. As for police, a further $42m will be spent on a new Nemesis Marine Area Command vessel. Singleton Police Station precinct will also get $8.7m for upgrades. As for emergency responses, $17m has been allocated over two years for additional firefighting appliances, including fire trucks. Health A new $492m NSW Health Pathology Statewide Hub will be funded as part of the 2025-26 hub will be located within the Westmead Health Precinct and include a new build for the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research. It will also include an upgrade to the high security PC4 biocontainment laboratory – the only one of its kind in NSW. Western Sydney The NSW government will invest in a range of measures across Western Sydney as part of the 2025-26 budget, including the new Western Sydney Airport. The Western Sydney Aerotropolis, the business precinct to adjoin the new airport, will receive $835m as part of the new budget. That will feature $150m for road infrastructure, including about $60m for new green directional signs to the airport across Sydney and incident response. Bankstown's new hospital will also get a whopping $700m in additional funding in the budget, blowing out total construction costs to $2bn. A further $100m will also be spent in relocating the TAFE NSW Bankstown campus to enable construction of the new hospital. The budget is the third for Premier Chris Minns. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia The Minns government will chip in $68m and the Albanese government a further $88m on local roads in Sydney's booming northwest. The funds will go towards to planning and development of critical road upgrades in Rooty Hill, Marsden Park, Schofields, Blacktown, and Rouse Hill. A further $42.2m will also be spent on hiring 52 new firefighters to staff the new Badgerys Creek fire station. Arts and film The Minns government will invest $100m in a capital fund to begin the hunt for the location of a second film studio for Sydney as part of a $380m arts and film package. The package includes $280m for programs to support the sector, including the Made in NSW fund and Post, Digital and Visual Effects and Digital Games Rebate programs. There is only a single film studio in Sydney, Disney Studios Australia at Moore Park, despite franchises such as Thor, Mad Max, and Planet of the Apes being made there. Agriculture and biosecurity About $140m in new funding will be provided to strengthen NSW's biosecurity detection, protection, and response, bringing the total investment to a whopping $1.05bn. That will include $41.2m to be invested into modernising the primary industry research and development program. Those programs include upgrades to digital infrastructure to promote research in emerging areas such as AI-assisted farming.
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
US reportedly preparing for possible weekend Iran strike
The conflict between Israel and Iran has spilled over into the digital world. On Tuesday, a pro-Israel hacking group claimed responsibility for a disruptive cyberattack against a major Iranian bank, and Iran's state-run IRIB News reported that Israel had launched a full-scale cyberattack on the country's critical infrastructure. Then on Wednesday, the pro-Israel hackers announced a new breach targeting an Iranian crypto exchange. Predatory Sparrow's claims that it hacked Iran's Bank Sepah and Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex are the latest manifestation of that digital tit-for-tat. And on Thursday, there were reports that the state-run TV was hacked.
