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Aircraft, missiles, asylum: Australia’s increased involvement in the Iran war
11 March 2026
Australia moved beyond rhetoric about the conflict in the Middle East this week.
Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia agreed to a request from the United Arab Emirates to send an E-7 A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles. While emphasising this support – including 85 ADF personnel – is for deterrence purposes only, it marks a significant shift for Australia’s involvement. The last time Australia provided the Wedgetail was to Poland for support during Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Australia, and many Ukrainian allies and partners sent missiles and other defence support to Ukraine from 2022-2025. The Australian Government is couching their support of UAE in similar terms, particularly given the 24,000 Australians in UAE and 115,000 Australians in the Middle East more broadly. However, since countries began sending missiles to Ukraine, it quickly depleted the global reserves of certain munitions. And while the United States has urged the defence industry to increase production, this is happening at a rate that outpaces their current use.
This is why we are seeing more attention turning towards US allies, like Australia, through the Guided Weapons and Explosives Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, which strengthen Australia’s sovereign capabilityAs USSC has shared across reports, op-eds and podcasts, GWEO has been supported by both the Biden and Trump administrations because it can bolster production of precision missiles, an opportunity that only increases with the current conflict. However, this requires the United States to integrate GWEO into existing security frameworks and Australia to set clear timelines to operationalise GWEO.
Australia continues to provide broad support for the war in Iran, including offering asylum to 6 Iranian soccer players and one support person travelling with the team (following a phone call from President Trump). Delivering on agreements like GWEO will go a long way towards establishing Australia not just as a resource in times of necessity, but as an indispensable partner.
Mari Koeck
Director, Engagement and Impact
Lead photo: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives to the House of Representatives for Question Time on 10 March 2026. The government announced plans to provide defensive support to allies in the region as tensions rise in the Iran conflict (photo by Hilary Wardhaugh via Getty).
"I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it!"
Recent content from us
PODCASTUSSC Briefing Room | Convenience, choice or necessity? Examining the case for striking IranIn this episode USSC CEO Dr Michael Green and USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein sat down with USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on Friday, 6 March 2026 to discuss the latest on the war with Iran. |
COMMENTARYPresident versus Congress: Iran war highlights US governance dilemmaNon-Resident Senior Fellow Lester Munson analyses the interplay between President Trump's executive branch and Congress on the war with Iran and voting on the war powers resolutions last week in this op-ed for The Strategist. |
In the news
ABC | Trump predicts war will end "very soon"
USSC CEO Dr Michael Green spoke with ABC News about President Trump's recent comments about the war with Iran, the US objectives and the challenges facing the president in a midterm election year.
AFR | Gulf deployment ‘exposes Australia’s vulnerability’ in the drone era
A new article from the Australian Financial Review discusses Australia's ground-based air defence capabilities in light of their equipment shipment to the Gulf and quoted USSC Senior Adviser for Defence Strategy Prof. Peter Dean's recent report on the topic, saying, "Australia’s current ground-based air defence capabilities are inadequate to meet contemporary threats and to provide for homeland defence or force protection to deployed forces."
SBS | 'As long as it takes': Experts predict possible outcomes of war in the Middle East
As the war in the Middle East expands and rhetoric from the US and Iran continues to be antagonistic, the world is speculating about how long this will go on for and what the wider implications will be. USSC Associate Professor David Smith was quoted in this article by SBS on the conditions for bringing the war to an end, saying that Trump's widely perceived goal of regime change, where the Iranian people would "rise up" to overthrow the government, was unlikely.
The Daily Telegraph | Why the clock is ticking for Trump on Iran
USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein spoke with The Daily Telegraph about the war with Iran and the increasing political pressure facing President Trump, saying, "This is a base that is very, very supportive of Donald Trump. But this is something that very well could break it, depending on how the days and weeks to come go."
By the numbers
Escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz
risks a global energy crisis
Since the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on 28 February, crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments through the narrow Strait of Hormuz has crawled to a standstill. The Strait of Hormuz, which is just 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman, is a major chokepoint on global energy supplies. Around one-fifth of global crude oil supply passes through this narrow channel.
Key manufacturing hubs across Asia rely on energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, including China, India, Taiwan, and Japan. As these countries scramble to find new supply, prices have already increased by almost 30% since the beginning of the conflict, which is an even sharper increase than what global markets saw at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
If energy infrastructure and production continue to be targeted throughout the US-Israel-Iran conflict, oil and LNG prices will remain elevated. Additionally, as Russian energy exports are still sanctioned, there is less capacity in the system to manage this new supply shock—put simply, it could get worse before it gets better. To help ease prices, the United States has already relaxed some sanctions on Russian oil exports.
Australia is one of the largest LNG exporters in the world. With Qatari and Russian LNG exports (the third and fourth largest producers) effectively off-limits, our major trading partners will be looking towards Australia as a source of secure, high-volume supply. However, this must also be balanced with mitigating the risks of higher energy prices in Australia, which has hurt domestic industries over the past few years and could drive up inflation.
Robert Monterosso
Research Fellow, Economic Security
Spotlight video
Former Australian Foreign Minister discusses
USSC report at Raisina
During the ministerial session at Raisina Dialogue 2026 titled “Heart of the Seas: Future of the Indian Ocean,” former Australian Foreign Minister Senator Marise Payne referenced the USSC report Securing the Indian Ocean: Elevating the India-Australia maritime partnership and corresponding podcast from 2025 Maitri Fellow Rushali Saha in her address. The session featured Dr. S. Jaishankar, Vijitha Herath, Dhananjay Ritish Ramful and Barry Faure.
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building (H03)
University of Sydney NSW 2006