
Australian embassy officials in Iran evacuate as conflict grows in Middle East
Australian embassy officials in Iran evacuate as conflict grows in Middle East
Published 20 June 2025, 8:37 am
Australian officials and their families have been evacuated from Tehran. Threats of a major regional war have prompted Australia to close its embassy. The Federal government is urgently warning Australians in Iran to leave if safe to do so.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


7NEWS
36 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Iran says no to nuclear talks, UN urges restraint
Iran says it will not discuss the future of its nuclear program while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. A week into its campaign, Israel said on Friday it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. The Israeli military later said they had struck surface-to-air missile batteries in southwestern Iran as part of efforts to achieve air superiority over the country. Explosions were heard in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province and at least four people there were killed, IRNA news agency reported. At least five people were injured when Israel hit a five-storey building in Tehran housing a bakery and a hairdresser's, Fars news agency reported. Iranian air defences were activated on Friday evening, Fars news agency reported. Iran fired missiles at Beersheba in southern Israel and Haifa in the north, causing damage to an Ottoman-era mosque, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. A foreign ministry video also showed extensive damage to a nearby high-rise building that houses a branch of Israel's Interior Ministry. About 20 missiles were fired in those latest Iranian strikes, an Israeli military official said, and at least two people were hurt, according to the Israeli ambulance service. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the UN Security Council his country would not stop its attacks 'until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled'. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the US may join the war. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned against attacks on nuclear facilities and called for maximum restraint. 'Armed attack on nuclear facilities... could result in radioactive releases with great consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the state which has been attacked,' Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Security Council. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities but that it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also speaking at the world body's Security Council, said the Iran-Israel conflict could 'ignite a fire no one can control' and called on all parties to 'give peace a chance'. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. The White House said on Thursday President Donald Trump would decide on US involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks. Trump presided over a national security meeting about Iran on Friday with top aides at the White House, a US official said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US 'until Israeli aggression stops'. He later went to Geneva for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hoped to establish a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program. The meeting ended without any breakthrough, but the ministers said the Iranians were open to further discussions. A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that any proposal for zero enrichment - not being able to enrich uranium at all - would be rejected, 'especially now under Israel's strikes'. Israel's Foreign Minister Saar, speaking in Haifa, said he was very sceptical about Iran's intentions. 'We know from the record of Iran they are not negotiating honestly,' he said. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side.

ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
West Australian marine business actively considering bid for Darwin Port
The business behind two major new West Australian marine infrastructure projects is considering a bid for the Darwin Port, as the federal government seeks a buyer to get it "back under Australian control". The Darwin Port was controversially leased by the Northern Territory government to Chinese-owned firm Landbridge for 99 years in 2015, and since then the facility has been a lightning rod for national security debate. Although no security risks have ever been proven regarding the port's lease, both Labor and the Coalition promised to return the port to Australian operation during the recent federal election campaign. The Australian government has said it is negotiating with parties over the port's future, but it has not yet revealed exactly which companies or consortiums could be in the running to bid for the lease. Founder of the Kimberley Marine Support Base in Broome and the Onslow Marine Support Base in the Pilbara, Andrew Natta, said the private Australian business was actively considering a bid for the Darwin Port. While the Onslow and Kimberley projects exist as separate entities, they share a common founder in Mr Natta and overlapping shareholders. "If you look at what our business has done in Western Australia … it makes sense for us to consider the opportunity, for sure," Mr Natta said. "If you look at our history and you look at what we're investing in in Broome, the piece of infrastructure [Kimberley Marine Support Base] that we're building now is almost $250 million. Mr Natta said he had not yet met with representatives from the federal or NT governments over his business' potential ambitions to take on the Darwin Port, but that it was likely on the cards for the near future. "At this point in time we're definitely saying that there is interest, and more than likely, yes, we would go forward and [meet with government]," he said. Both the Kimberley and Onslow port infrastructure projects have been vocally supported by the West Australian government, which has praised their potential to build capacity across multiple industries. Mr Natta said the aim would be to bring a similar ethos to "enhancing" the Darwin Port. "If we were to consider Darwin Port, we would be investing in a way that is very generational, very patient, but at the same time, enhancing," he said. He did not weigh into the controversy surrounding Darwin Port's current leaseholder, Landbridge, but said he believed there was merit in having the facility back in Australian hands. "I don't have a comment on the current ownership other than I think that it works very well when we have an all-Australian partnership, and that we can help facilitate those that need a port," he said. While the federal government has not yet revealed who it has been speaking to regarding the Darwin Port's future, a number of companies have reportedly shown interest. US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, which has strong links to the Trump administration, has reportedly been working towards a joint bid for the port with Australian-registered firm Toll Group. Neither company has confirmed if that bid is going ahead. The federal government has also said it has been speaking with superannuation firms over the port's future. Landbridge Group has repeatedly said it is not searching for a buyer. Earlier this month, Landbridge's non-executive director for Australia, Terry O'Connor, told 7.30 he believed the company had been subjected to a campaign of "myths and mistruths", including by ministers in the Australian government, over the port's lease. Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said in a statement on Friday that "the Australian government is working closely with the Northern Territory government on next steps". "It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that may be the subject of commercial negotiations," she said. The ABC understands the federal government has been approached by a number of interested parties. NT Treasurer Bill Yan said the territory government was "working alongside our Commonwealth counterparts in the best interests of Australia and the NT". "We will not pre-empt that work," he said.

ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Trump says it's 'very hard' to ask Israel to stop Iran attacks
US President Donald Trump has played down the possibility of asking Israel to halt its attacks on Iran, as the two countries continue to trade missiles.