CANBERRA: Australia will deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East and supply missiles to the United Arab Emirates but will not send troops to Iran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.
Albanese said Australia’s involvement is “purely defensive” and aims to help Gulf countries defend themselves against attacks from Iran while protecting Australians in the region. He emphasized that Australia is not a direct participant in the conflict.
Australia will deploy a Boeing E‑7A Wedgetail from the Royal Australian Air Force for an initial four-week mission. The aircraft will monitor and help protect airspace over Gulf countries.
Canberra will also provide advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates following a phone call between Albanese and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The conflict has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass.
Around 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the conflict began 11 days ago. Since then, about 2,600 Australians have returned home on commercial flights as several Gulf cities came under Iranian bombardment.
