n Defence Force personal have been deployed to the Middle East to evacuate Aussies stranded in Iran and Israel.
‘ADF personnel and aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East as part of the operation – to help ns but not for combat,’ Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on Friday.
‘We are sending defence assets to help ns – they are not there for combat.’
There are about 2,000 ns and their families currently in Iran, along with around 1,200 in Israel, who want to evacuate.
The government has already helped ns flee Israel using a border crossing to Jordan, and some of those people only got 55 minutes to get moving.
Senator Wong said it would be extremely difficult for ns to leave Iran because the airspace is closed.
‘We are really conscious it is difficult. I wish it were not so, I wish that we had more capacity to assist but the difficult reality is the situation on the ground is extremely unstable.
‘What that means is, we cannot fly aircraft in or out because of the security situation and because of the possibility of strikes.
‘What we can do is what we have done, which is deploy consular staff to Azerbaijan from Tehran, which is eight hours away. It’s the closest land crossing available, and we are doing that to assist ns who get to the border.’
She said any ns left in Iran should leave if they can after closing the n embassy in the capital, Tehran, and ordering all diplomatic staff to depart.
‘We urge ns who are able to leave Iran to do so now if it is safe. Those who are not able to do so or who do not wish to leave are advised to shelter in place.
‘We continue to plan to support ns departing Iran and we remain in close contact with partner countries.’
Those attempting to leave for a neighbouring state have been warned to consider the risks, as borders may close without notice and roads are exposed to attacks.
There are also different visa rules for many of the bordering nations including Armenia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
ns have been advised not to travel to Afghanistan, Iraq or parts of Pakistan that border Iran.
Overnight Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the US might join the war on Israel’s side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks.
‘Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,’ press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from the president.
The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic’s missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group.
Israel says Iran’s retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more.
Trump has demanded that Iran unconditionally surrender, saying he knew where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hiding.
Iran has warned of ‘all-out war’ if the US joins the fray.