Latest news with #AustralianEmbassy
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
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.
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Wong calls for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy' after Tehran embassy closure
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so if it is safe, and those who are unable to leave have been advised to remain sheltered in place. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy" after announcing that the Australian embassy in Tehran would close amid continuing hostilities between Iran and Israel. All Australian foreign affairs staff and their dependents in the Iranian capital have been told to leave "based on advice about the deteriorating security environment", Wong said in a statement sent out early this morning. The statement said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was seeking to deploy consular staff to Azerbaijan, including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran. DFAT was "in the process of getting a crisis response team into Azerbaijan" to help Australians cross the border from Iran, saying that was their "most likely exit from Tehran", Wong said in Adelaide later on Friday morning. She said Australian military personnel had been deployed to the region to help evacuation efforts. "The deployment is for supporting people; it is not for combat purposes," she emphasised. In the earlier statement, Wong said: "We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe". "Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place," she said. "We are continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran, and we remain in close contact with other partner countries." "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington, quoting a message from Trump. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted a week ago, when the former launched an attack against the Islamic republic's missile capabilities, claiming it was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,300 others, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Israel says Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 24 and wounded hundreds more. Iran has warned of "all-out war" if the US joins the fray. There are now more than 2,000 Australians who have registered for assistance to leave Iran, up from 1,500 on Thursday. "It's a difficult, hard situation, the airspace is still closed," Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. "We'll be exploring every opportunity we can to support people getting out in other ways." "When the opportunity arises to get people out, we take that opportunity," Butler said. There are still more than 1,200 Australians registered for assistance to depart Israel, where the airspace is also closed. At the late morning press conference, Wong also said she'd spoken with her US counterpart Marco Rubio overnight. "We had a good discussion. A good discussion about the way through the conflict and issues in the Australia-US relationship and our bilateral cooperation," she said. "I emphasise there is an opportunity given what president Trump has said. There is an opportunity over the next two weeks for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy." "That is what we want to see and that is what the world wants to see. Iran must come to the table and it must stop any nuclear weapons program."
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
I landed in China and wasn't allowed to leave the airport after making a shock discovery in my bag... 18 hours later I was on a flight home to Australia
A young woman has shared her horror experience after being stranded in an airport in China for 18 hours and then flying back to Australia because she lost her passport. Maddi Healey's passport went missing on a flight from Sydney to Guangzhou earlier this month as she was embarking on her dream holiday. Her and a friend were looking forward to visiting the world famous Great Wall of China but she didn't get out of the airport. Her holiday was over after she couldn't find her passport when she got to the customs desk. 'We turned the bag inside out and searched my friend's bag. It was not there,' she told Yahoo. 'I then noticed a decent-sized rip in the top of my backpack that was not there before leaving for China. 'Something didn't feel right. By this point, my friend and I had to make the tough decision as to whether or not she would continue the trip solo in the hope that I would recover my passport and meet up with her. We said our goodbyes.' The 20-year-old was then forced to wait for 18 hours without internet or power access. She said she was given very little information on what would happen to her and the Australian embassy couldn't help because she hadn't gone through customs. 'About seven hours in a lovely man who was working at the international desk came over and offered his help. He sat with me and booked me a ticket back to Sydney. I ended up paying $660,' Maddi said. 'I believe that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten home the way I did and in such a timely manner. I was in complete despair, filled with fear and frustration.' Maddi told fellow Aussie travellers to keep their passports 'strapped to you at all times'. 'Don't assume everyone has the same level of respect for your belongings. Have all your documents photographed and saved in your phone,' she said. 'I was extremely disheartened that I was missing out on a trip that I had dreamt of for years.' Maddi also said there needed to be more services to help Aussies who are not yet in a country, but have left the plane. 'Being unable to be helped by the embassy due to a matter of metres is really hard. I hope no one else has to experience this during their travels,' she said. There has been a substantial increase in the number of Australian passports stolen, with 1,942 reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade between 2023 and 2024. It was a 28 per cent increase compared to the previous year. In December, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) released its 2023-24 Consular State of Play report, which showed how many Aussies needed consular assistance and crisis support overseas. DFAT responded to 9,067 consular assistance cases over the period which was a seven per cent increase from the previous year. The country where Australians needed the most hekp overseas was Thailand, with 827 consular cases. China recorded 309 cases.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Australians impacted by major new Donald Trump ban: What you need to know
Kevin Rudd has slammed Donald Trump 's 'distressing' decision to block foreign students from enrolling at Harvard University amid escalating tensions with the elite institution. The ban, announced by the US President on Thursday, is forcing existing students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status. It will also impact the roughly 120 Australian students who study at Harvard, according to the university's website. Russ, who is Australia's ambassador to the US, said he was 'monitoring closely developments at Harvard University' in a post on X on Friday morning. 'I know this will be distressing for Harvard's many Australian students,' Rudd said. 'The Embassy is working with the United States Government to obtain the details of this decision so that Australian students can receive appropriate advice.' 'We also intend to engage the administration more broadly on the impact of this decision for Australian students and their families both at Harvard and at other campuses across the United States.' Rudd encouraged any Australians requiring assistance to contact the consular emergency centre. The move comes amid escalating tensions between the Ivy League university and the White House after the university refused to provide information about some foreign student visa holders. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused Harvard of 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party'.
