Coalition leader Andrew Hastie has declared that anyone who thinks the rules-based order still exists is living in a “fantasy land”, amid an escalation of the US-Israel war against Iran, and as the government confirmed that Australian troops in the region were safe after a drone attack at the weekend.
Australian troops stationed at defense force headquarters in the United Arab Emirates are all accounted for after a drone strike at the weekend, the federal government said, amid growing conflict sparked by US and Israeli bombing in Iran.
Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed on Tuesday that all Australian troops working at Al Minhad air base were unharmed in the attack, which came as Iran launched retaliatory strikes against neighboring countries following attacks led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“All the Australians who are there are safe and accounted for,” Marles said on Tuesday.
“We have more than 100 employees across the Middle East. Most of them are in the United Arab Emirates, where we have had an operational headquarters in Al Minhad for many, many years.”
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It comes as the government defended the attacks, amid criticism from international law experts that the United States and Israel had acted without legal authorization.
Marles told ABC TV that Iran had been trying to acquire a nuclear weapon, which violated international non-proliferation agreements, but said it was “a matter for the United States and Israel to justify the legal side of their actions.”
“But there is absolutely no doubt that the world could not trust Iran in terms of what it was doing with its nuclear program,” Marles said. “And it is absolutely essential for global security that Iran be prevented from acquiring this capability.”
However, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie dismissed those concerns about the rules-based international order, saying it was “nice to talk about” but irrelevant when Trump acted as a “ultimate opportunist” in the White House.
“I don’t think that exists anymore, and anyone who says it does is living in a fantasy land. This is a new world order.
“I think the world is ruled by power, and I prefer a powerful United States that restores deterrence, rather than other countries like Russia, you know, using their power to advance their national interests.”
But Hastie, an SAS veteran, warned that war “is a very, very risky business” and said Iranians might wonder if they are “trading one tyrant for another.”
“It is a blunt instrument for regime change, which I believe is part of Donald Trump’s strategy.
“I am cautious about regime change, having been involved in the wars of the last 15 to 20 years, and we will watch it closely,” he said.
Australia has maintained a smaller force at Al Minhad air base since the end of operations in Afghanistan. Last year, Defense said there were around 50 ADF core personnel and a total of 70 to 80 Australians on the base at any one time.
Known as HQME, the headquarters has supported ADF missions and contingencies since 2003.
Contingency plans are underway in Canberra to help the region’s 115,000 Australians, including measures to help thousands of travelers caught up in the airline disruption.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke with her UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday.
He said the UAE was working hard to allow flights out of the country safely and confirmed that Australians affected by travel disruptions in the UAE were being housed and provided with meals.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was working through thousands of records from the United Arab Emirates and other countries to confirm the status and welfare of Australian citizens, permanent residents and their dependents.
