Anadolu staff
23 June 2025•Update: 23 June 2025
ANKARA
Australia on Monday extended its support to the US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities despite domestic opposition.
“The world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon, so yes, we support action to prevent that, and that is what this is," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that American forces bombed Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
The attacks came as the latest escalation in a US-backed Israeli military assault on Iran since June 13, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory attacks on Israel.
"We want to see diplomacy, dialogue, and de-escalation … Iran had an opportunity to comply, they chose not to and there have been consequences of that," Albanese said.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia did not receive any request from the US for assistance in the strikes.
She stressed that the US action was "unilateral" when asked whether Pine Gap, a shared military facility, had been engaged.
"The key question for the international community is what happens next. … It's obviously a very precarious, risky, and dangerous moment the world faces," she said.
The opposition Greens party has opposed the strikes, with defense spokesperson David Shoebridge calling Trump a "warmonger" and demanding Australia clarify it will not get involved.
"You cannot bomb your way to peace … and the people who are always going to pay the price are the ordinary people on the street," he said.
- New Zealand, Japan signal support to US strikes on Iran
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country has consistently opposed Iran’s nuclear program, along with many other countries, and the US airstrikes on Tehran's nuclear sites were "in collective self-defense consistent with the UN Charter."
Stating that Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, Peters, in a post on X on Monday, said that New Zealand "strongly" supports all efforts at diplomacy, and urges "all parties" to return to talks.
An enduring and sustainable solution depends on de-escalation and diplomacy, he added.
Japan also appeared to show some support for US airstrikes, which signaled Washington's "resolve" to block Tehran from racing toward possession of nuclear weapons," Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.
Calling for de-escalation, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said in a statement: "Japan understands that the US action demonstrates its determination to de-escalate the situation while preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."
