Many Australians ask for government assistance amid increasing tensions between Iran and Israel

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Australian leaders are calling for a step away from violence between Israel and Iran, following an exchange of missile fire that killed hundreds over the weekend.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said around 300 Australians in Israel, and a further 350 in Iran, have requested assistance to leave the region.

“For families of people who are in the region, this is a distressing time. What I would say is, at the moment, airspace is closed,” she said.

“The people here at the crisis centre are working on a range of plans, including a plan for assistive departures when air space is open and when it is safe to do so.”

Wong confirmed she has had a phone call with her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, in which she urged de-escalation and restraint, as well as a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

“No-one doubts the threat Iran poses,” Wong said.

“The question is, what do you do about it, and is your response going to risk dire consequences to the region?”

Wong reiterated calls for diplomacy and dialogue in the region to de-escalate tensions.

Israel and Iran started trading missile blows on Friday after the Israeli military launched an attack with the stated aim of wiping out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Iran vowed to “open the gates of hell” in retaliation.

‘We’re all deeply concerned’

Speaking to reporters in Canada outside the G7 summit, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed the conflict with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“Both of us, I think, share a view wanting to see a de-escalation of conflict, wanting to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy,” Albanese said on Monday morning.

Firefighters spray foam over a burnt-out street.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles expressed concern the bombing could escalate into a larger conflict in the region. Source: AP / Rami Shlush

“Our concern about Iran gaining the capacity of nuclear weapons is something that is a threat to security in the region. But we, along with other like-minded countries, do want to see that priority on dialogue and diplomacy,” Albanese said.

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles expressed concern the bombing could escalate into a larger conflict in the region.

“We’re all deeply concerned about the potential for where this now goes in terms of escalation and broadening out into a wider conflict, and that’s why we are urging for diplomacy and dialogue in this moment,” he told ABC Radio on Monday.

“That is why we are exercising our voice, along with countries like the United States, like France, Germany, the UK, to urge for diplomacy and dialogue.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said hundreds of Australians stuck in Israel and Iran have asked for help to leave the region as tensions escalate. Source: Getty / Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg

Labor frontbencher Amanda Rishworth described the escalation as “alarming”.

“Israel has a right to defend itself, but we would be urging all parties for dialogue and de-escalation,” she told Channel Nine’s Today Show on Monday morning.

“The consequences will be significant if it spills over into a wider conflict. Of course, the personal consequences are really significant. Obviously, there’s a lot of concern for Australians, both in Israel and Iran.”

She said the advice for Australians in the region is to shelter in place and use Smartraveller for updates from the government.

The onslaught continued into Sunday, and Iran’s health ministry said 224 people had been killed since Friday.

Iranian health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on social media 1,277 other people were hospitalised, and asserted that more than 90 per cent of the casualties were civilians.

Liberal MP Andrew Bragg said the Iranian regime is made up of “seriously bad people”.

“If we were in Israel’s shoes, we would not tolerate a country nearby us getting a nuclear weapon,” he told the Today Show on Monday morning.

“And so I think Israel is trying to stop that from happening — that’s a good thing for humanity, because these guys are the worst regime anywhere on the planet.

“They should never be given the opportunity to have a nuclear weapon.”

Does Iran have nuclear weapons?

Western powers accuse Iran of secretly aiming to develop nuclear weapons by enriching uranium to a high level of fissile purity beyond what is deemed necessary for a civilian atomic energy program.

While Iran has been open about its stores of enriched uranium, it has consistently denied possessing nuclear weapons and insists its nuclear program is solely intended for civilian energy purposes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates Iran’s stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium could be enough to produce approximately six nuclear bombs if further enriched to the final level.

In 2015, Iran reached an agreement with the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Under the terms of the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear ambitions and allow international inspectors access in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. The US later withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Iran subsequently violated some of the deal’s restrictions, progressively enriching more uranium for nuclear fuel.