Australia will send defensive military support to the Persian Gulf following attacks by Iran

Sydney.- The Australian Government announced this Tuesday the deployment of defensive military support to countries in the Persian Gulf affected by missile and drone attacks attributed to Iran, although it denied that troops will be sent to Iran. A total of 85 military personnel will depart this Tuesday from Australia and are expected to be operational before the end of the week, confirmed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a press conference. The deployment will initially last for four weeks and will be carried out within the framework of the "collective defense" of the Gulf countries and will include the sending of an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the aim of reinforcing the protection of regional airspace. As explained by the president, the aircraft has long-range reconnaissance capabilities that will allow it to monitor and contribute to the defense of the airspace over the gulf. "The first priority of my Government is and always will be to keep Australians safe," Albanese said when announcing the measure. In addition to the deployment of the early warning aircraft, Canberra will provide the UAE with medium-range air-to-air missiles to reinforce its defensive capabilities.

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Australia will limit its aid to the defensive flank

The Minister of Defence, Richard Marles, stressed that the Australian participation will not involve offensive actions against Iran and that these are defensive weapons, aimed at "protecting the Gulf countries". Furthermore, Marles added that the mission will be similar to recent Wedgetail operations in Europe, where the aircraft was deployed in support of Ukraine's defense against Russia. For her part, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned that Iranian attacks against neighboring countries intensified overnight and recommended that Australian citizens in the region leave the area if possible. According to official data, around 115,000 Australians currently reside in the Middle East, including about 24,000 in the UAE.