Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said air-to-air missiles and a reconnaissance aircraft would be sent to the region amid a standoff with Iran.
Published on 10 March 2026
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia would deploy long-range surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles to help countries in the Gulf region defend against Iranian attacks.
“The Iranian conflict in the Middle East began only a week ago, and Iran’s retaliatory attacks continue to escalate, already at a scale and depth we have never seen before. Twelve countries across the region, from Cyprus to the Gulf, continue to be targeted,” Albanese said at a news conference on Tuesday.
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The Royal Australian Air Force will send E7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and support personnel for the next four weeks to “protect and secure the airspace over the Gulf” and help the region with its “collective self-defense,” he said.
He said Australia would send advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates following a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Albanese cited the 115,000 Australians living in the Middle East – of them, 24,000 in the UAE – as a key factor behind the deployment of military assets.
“Helping the Australians means helping the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries defend themselves against unprovoked attacks,” he told reporters, stressing that the deployments were for defensive purposes only.
“My government is clear: we are not taking aggressive action against Iran, and we are clear that we are not deploying Australian troops in Iran,” he said.
About 2,600 Australians have left the Middle East since last week, but “significant challenges” remain in helping those who want to leave but remain in the region.
The Prime Minister’s announcement was immediately slammed by the opposition Greens Party, which said Australia risked being embroiled in another US-led “perpetual war”.
Australia joined the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003 and lost more than 50 personnel during the conflicts, according to the Australian War Memorial.
Greens senator Larissa Waters said she feared more Australian lives were at risk with the announced deployments, which the Labor-led government said would be with 85 Australian staff.
“Australians do not want Trump and Netanyahu to be dragged into an illegal war against Iran. Labor should not send troops to help the military that killed 150 school children in a primary school bombing. That would escalate an already out-of-control illegal conflict and bind Australia to a permanent declaration of war on Tuesday.
“Every day Australia’s demands from Trump and Netanyahu continue to increase. It was fueling US spy planes yesterday, recon jets and missiles today, and maybe more troops tomorrow. Labor has no red lines to appease Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu,” he said, referring to the US president and Israeli prime minister.
Albanese said separately on Tuesday that Canberra had formally granted asylum to five members of Iran’s women’s football team visiting Australia for the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Queensland.
Albanese said the women had been granted humanitarian visas and moved to a safe location with the assistance of the Australian Federal Police.
“Australians are moved by the plight of these brave women. They are safe here and they feel at home here,” Albanese told reporters.
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