Australia-UAE defence commitments do not involve offensive action against Iran, says government

The Albanese government insists its defence commitments to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) do not involve taking any offensive action against Iran, after revelations that the UAE has carried out military strikes on Iranian targets.

In the early days of the US-Israel assault in Iran in March, Australia sent an RAAF Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft, along with 85 support personnel, to the UAE at the gulf kingdom's request.

At the time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the aim of the mission was to provide defensive support for airspace above the region, including to help protect and defend Australians and other civilians.

The UAE has consistently been the major target of missile and drone strikes from Iran, strikes that have recommenced in the past week, as negotiations over a longer-term peace deal have increasingly disrupted the current ceasefire.

It has expressed its outrage over the attacks, arguing that it had consistently pushed the US and Israel not to begin a war with Iran.

A senior UAE minister told the ABC in March that Iran's actions in attacking neighbouring countries were unprecedented, "almost unhinged", and irrational.

"It's been pretty unprecedented, what's happened, and almost unhinged, I would say, to have Iran lash out at the very people who've been calling for de-escalation, who've been calling for this war to never actually even start, which has really taken us by surprise," Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy told the ABC.

"We've borne the brunt of most of the missiles and drone attacks, and it's really quite surprising for us that Iran has taken such an irrational path to fight the gulf states and act in this quite unlawful, quite unacceptable manner."

However, in recent weeks, Iran has charged that the UAE had been directly involved in strikes on Iranian sites and facilities, which the Emiratis have not publicly confirmed.

At the same time, the UAE's public anger — and rhetoric — has been escalating against Iran as the attacks have continued.

In a statement on May 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said renewed Iranian attacks during the period of the official ceasefire "constitute a dangerous escalation, an unacceptable act of aggression, and a direct threat to the UAE's security, stability, and territorial integrity, in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations".

"The UAE emphasized that it will not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances, and that it reserves its full and legitimate right to respond to these unprovoked attacks in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, in accordance with international law."

It was revealed late last month that Israel provided some of its so-called Iron Dome defence systems to the UAE, as the kingdom has increasingly sided with the US and Israel in the conflict, while other gulf states have stayed on the sidelines.

The move was confirmed by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday.

Now, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has reported that the UAE has carried out military strikes on Iran, including an attack on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, which sparked a large fire and knocked much of its capacity offline for months.

The revelation recasts the gulf monarchy as an active combatant in the war, rather than just a target.

The WSJ said the attack took place around the time US President Donald Trump was announcing a ceasefire in the war after a five-week air campaign.

The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the strikes but pointed to previous statements in which it asserted its right to respond — including militarily — to hostile acts.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government "has been clear that Australia is not taking offensive action against Iran".

"The E-7A Wedgetail continues to operate in the Middle East, providing defensive support to secure the airspace above the region, and helping to protect and defend Australians and other civilians."

The Australian government continues to insist that the deployment of the Wedgetail was at the request of the UAE, and is in support of the collective self-defence of regional countries.

There has been no change to the basis of this deployment, it says.

Laura Tingle is the ABC's global affairs editor