Wong says she urged Iranian foreign minister to ‘exercise restraint’
Krishani Dhanji
Penny Wong confirmed on Insiders she’s spoken to her Iranian counterpart since Israel’s pre-emptive strikes hit Tehran on Friday, urging restraint.
The foreign minister said she liaised with partners before directly engaging with Iran’s foreign minister, telling the regime to “return to diplomacy and dialogue”.
I said, after liaising with partners, I directly put to the Iranian foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi], ‘We are saying to you, exercise restraint, return to diplomacy and dialogue’, because continuing to escalate this has consequences for all peoples of the region and I think that is – that is a position that so many countries in the world are putting to not only the Iranians, but also to the Israelis.
Wong said the message from the Australian government to both Israeli and Iranian governments is consistent with what the UK prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the US president, Donald Trump, have said – that the situation must be de-escalated.
Key events
Jonathan Barrett and Patrick Commins have talked to experts about alternatives to Aukus, and introduced me to the excellent term “echidna strategy”:
Krishani Dhanji
Aukus and tariffs key themes of Albanese-Trump talks, Wong predicts
Penny Wong says she anticipates the Aukus deal and trade tariffs will be on the agenda when Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday.
She told Insiders she was “pleased” the meeting has been scheduled – it was only confirmed earlier this morning. She said:
There [is] a lot going on in the world at the moment but we’re pleased that this has been scheduled. Obviously the prime minister has said already that Aukus and tariffs are things that are on his mind and on the country’s mind. I’d anticipate he will find the opportunity in the meeting to raise these issues.
Asked whether Australia is prepared to put more on the table to keep Aukus alive, as the US prepares to review the defence pact, Wong said it’s a “partnership” that benefits all three nations involved.
She said that under the deal, Australia has sent $2bn to the US to support its shipbuilding capacity and that Australia has already increased its defence spending (despite the US asking it for it to be increased further).
Iran’s foreign minister confirms Wong’s call for both sides to de-escalate
For his part, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said in a press release that during the phone call with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, he outlined the “scope of the Israeli regime’s aggression against Iran, including attacks on military targets and nuclear facilities”. And he confirmed that Wong urged all sides to “refrain from actions that risk escalating tensions”.
Wong says she urged Iranian foreign minister to ‘exercise restraint’
Krishani Dhanji
Penny Wong confirmed on Insiders she’s spoken to her Iranian counterpart since Israel’s pre-emptive strikes hit Tehran on Friday, urging restraint.
The foreign minister said she liaised with partners before directly engaging with Iran’s foreign minister, telling the regime to “return to diplomacy and dialogue”.
I said, after liaising with partners, I directly put to the Iranian foreign minister [Abbas Araghchi], ‘We are saying to you, exercise restraint, return to diplomacy and dialogue’, because continuing to escalate this has consequences for all peoples of the region and I think that is – that is a position that so many countries in the world are putting to not only the Iranians, but also to the Israelis.
Wong said the message from the Australian government to both Israeli and Iranian governments is consistent with what the UK prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the US president, Donald Trump, have said – that the situation must be de-escalated.
Wong urges Iran and Israel to seek to ‘dialogue and diplomacy’
Krishani Dhanji
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says the situation in Iran and Israel is “perilous” and “risky” and has told Australians in the region to shelter in place.
Wong spoke on Insiders this morning, as both nations launch more military strikes.
Asked whether Israel’s pre-emptive strikes on Iran on Friday were justified, Wong said there must be a de-escalation of the situation, and both countries need to “exercise restraint and return to dialogue”:
The world knows that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program is a threat to international peace and security. And we know that Iran has been found by the UN watchdog to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations …
What I would say is the key issue is not, you know, is there a threat – there is, we all know that. It’s whether or not in response to it we increase the risk of regional escalation and that would have dire consequences to the people of the region.
So that is why Australia has said we urge de-escalation, we urge restraint, we urge dialogue and diplomacy, and that call has been reflected by like-minded and partners.
Wong said Israel does have a “right to self-defence” but the question is how the world now responds to the threat of Iran’s nuclear program.
She also said she spoke directly to Iran’s foreign minister, urging him to exercise restraint.
Here’s some cheer! Jo Khan caught up with Henry Young, the 101-year-old who is still playing tennis. He’s preparing for the ITF Masters Championships in Croatia. He’s had two new knees, a new hip, a pacemaker and more (so I guess I should quit whinging about my creaky bones):
Our man Tom McIlroy is travelling with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, (Seattle now, Canada shortly). He writes that in talks with the US president, Donald Trump, Albanese will push for a tariff exemption for Australia, and flagged talks on critical minerals and possible changes to biosecurity rules to allow more US beef to be imported into Australia. And, yes, they’ll talk Aukus (let us remember that time Trump appeared not to know what the $368bn deal was):
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s blog. And if you were hoping to ease into it, apologies – there’s quite a bit going on.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has managed to shore up a meeting with the US president, Donald Trump. They’ll catch up on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday. Tariffs are top of the agenda, but the Aukus deal is now looking shaky so that is likely to feature as well. Albanese said:
Obviously, there are issues that the US president is dealing with at the moment, but I expect that we will be able to have a constructive engagement.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, will be on Insiders shortly, which is excellent timing considering everything that’s going on in the world.
Speaking of which, you can follow the turmoil in the Middle East at our live blog here.
We’re also chasing news that an Australian man has been shot and killed in Bali. The ABC reports that a Melbourne man died and another was injured in an attack at a villa in Munggu, which is about an hour north of Kuta. A second man was injured.
I’m Tory Shepherd and I’ll try to find some lighter news for you throughout the day!