Australia has issued a stark warning about the potential for “reprisal attacks and further escalation” in the Middle East following a military confrontation involving Israel and the United States against Iran.

In a recent development, Israel declared it had conducted a “pre-emptive strike” on Iran. This was followed by a statement from U.S. President Donald Trump on the Truth social media platform, announcing a “massive and ongoing” U.S. military operation aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

This military action took place just a day after Oman, which has been mediating discussions between the U.S. and Iran over their nuclear dispute, reported “significant progress” in the talks, although no agreement had yet been reached.

In response to the escalating situation, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) updated its Smartraveller website. The update confirmed that airstrikes had occurred in Iran, including in the capital city of Tehran.

The Smartraveller advisory cautioned about the risks of retaliatory attacks and further regional escalation. It also noted that airspace closures around transit hubs could lead to global flight delays and cancellations.

Earlier this week, DFAT had already advised the families of Australian diplomats in the Middle East to evacuate due to the “deteriorating security situation.”

“If you remain in Iran, be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period. Make sure you have supplies of water, food and medication,” DFAT said in its update on Saturday.

The US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in Iran, two US officials told the Reuters news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity. The scope of the air and sea operations was not immediately clear. The campaign is expected to last for multiple days, said a US official.

The Israel Defense Forces later said that it had identified “missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel”. An Iranian official had earlier told Reuters a crushing retaliation was being prepared.

On the issue of Iran’s ballistic missile programme, which was a significant sticking point in negotiations, Trump said Iran was developing long-range missiles that threaten the US and others and threatened to raze their missile industry.

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said.

The attack follows a 12-day air war in June between Israel and Iran and repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The Iranian regime has always denied claims it’s pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its program is aimed at “developing civilian nuclear power”.

A source told Reuters that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.

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