Australia has asked family members and dependants of its diplomatic personnel in the United Arab Emirates to leave the country after a marked escalation in the conflict across the Middle East, officials said. The request comes as several Gulf cities have been subjected to Iranian bombardment.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran. Those strikes have been blamed in reports for pushing up global energy prices, disrupting commercial activity and snarling air travel.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that the security situation in the region had deteriorated. "Our travel advice has been updated to reflect that direction. We continue to advise Australians not to travel to the UAE," Wong said in a post on X on Sunday night.
Wong also provided figures on citizen movements and presence: more than 1,700 Australians have returned to Australia so far on commercial flights from the UAE, and about 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the conflict began 10 days ago.
Canberra, which is a close ally of the United States, has announced it would not deploy troops to the Middle East if the conflict expands. At the same time, Australian officials indicated on Sunday that they were considering requests to assist in protecting countries from Iranian drones and missiles.
Context and implications
The government action focused on non-essential dependants of diplomatic staff reflects a tighter posture on civilian safety as regional fighting continues. The updated travel advice explicitly discourages Australians from traveling to the UAE. The reported movements of citizens and the noted scale of Australians in the region underline the scope of potential consular and logistical demands.
What remains uncertain
Information released by officials describes an evolving situation: the conflict is said to have started 10 days ago and further developments remain possible. Australia has signalled reluctance to commit troops while being open to providing defensive assistance against drones and missiles, but the extent and nature of any such support were not detailed.