Radio Interview, ABC Radio National Breakfast

SUBJECTS: Middle East Conflict; G7; Australia-United States Relationship; AUKUS. 

SALLY SARA, HOST: Well, the Federal Government has repeated its calls for Israel and Iran to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy amid increasing turmoil in the Middle East. Since Israel's attack on Iran on Friday, the two powers have taken turns in trading blows with missile strikes, with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu warning that the worst is yet to come. Joining me now is the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles. Minister, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Sally, how are you?

SARA: Very well, thank you. Can you clarify Australia's position on Israel's initial decision to target Iran? Yesterday the Foreign Minister said that Israel has the right to self-defence. But was it justified in Australia's view?

MARLES: Well, the Prime Minister is obviously correct in saying that Israel has a right to self-defence and we very much understand the risk that is represented by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme. It is a risk to peace and stability across the world. But that said, what we urge is for both diplomacy and dialogue. We are very worried about the potential for escalation here. Obviously, the way in which this has unfolded over the last few days has been a matter of deep concern and we are worried about this going to a place of being a broader conflict. And that is why we are exercising our voice along with countries like the United States, like France, Germany, and the UK to urge for diplomacy and dialogue in this moment.

SARA. So, does Australia think that Israel's strike on Iran was justified?

MARLES: Well, I've made the point. I mean, Israel does have a right to self-defence and we understand the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programme represents. But right now the focus has to be on dialogue and diplomacy. We are deeply concerned about the prospects for risk situation here and about this becoming a broader conflict. And that's why we are making that call now as we are with our international partners.

SARA: What do you make of the Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon's comments on social media yesterday that words can't stop warheads?

MARLES: Well, the call for diplomacy and dialogue, which is, you know, the fundamental call that his comment was in response to, that is a call that's being made by the United States, it's been made by the UK, by France, Germany and other countries around the world. We are all deeply concerned about the potential for where this now goes in terms of escalation and broadening out into a wider conflict. And that's why we are urging for diplomacy and dialogue in this moment. We do understand what the Iranian programme represents in terms of a risk to destabilising international security. We're very much aware of that. And indeed, you know, President Macron spoke about that at the Shangri-La Dialogue just a couple of weeks ago in Singapore. But we need in this moment to be calling on restraint, calling for restraint and to be calling for diplomacy and dialogue so that this does not escalate.

SARA: What are your concerns regarding Iran potentially aiming for Western targets such as embassies and commercial operations, et cetera, in the region as part of its retaliation?

MARLES: Look, well, we call on Iran, as we have over the last couple of days, to exercise restraint in the way in which they go about this. Widening targets in that way would be very escalatory and that is of deep concern to us. It is really important that there is restraint applied by both parties here. But again, all of that is why in this moment we come back to our core call, which is to call for dialogue and diplomacy.

SARA: Is there any update on the safety of Australians in the Middle East at the moment?

MARLES: Look, the latest advice is that our diplomats who are in both our embassies in Tehran and Tel Aviv are safe and are all accounted for, but we will continue to monitor their safety. We do have a number of Defence Force personnel, a small number in the region across the Middle East. Again, they are all accounted for and are safe, but we continue to monitor their safety. Beyond that, there are actually thousands of Australians who are in both Iran and Israel. The travel advice for both Israel and Iran right now is do not travel. And the airspace over Iran and Israel is closed. And so our advice to those Australians who are in the region is to shelter in place, to obviously follow the advice, which is being constantly updated on the Smart Traveller website, but also if needs be, to contact the consular emergency line.

SARA: Looking to the Prime Minister's looming meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada. Tariffs and the AUKUS pact, of course, will be up for discussion. Among other issues. What does success look like for Australia from these talks?

MARLES: Well, it's an important meeting. It'll be the first face to face meeting between the President and the Prime Minister. And so, you know, actually, I think in any meeting of this kind, establishing that rapport initially is really important. I mean, the personal relationship between two leaders matters. And you know, I've spoken with the Prime Minister after he's had his calls with President Trump, and I think there is already a rapport in place between the two of them. We will continue to press the case in relation to tariffs. We are a country which derives a lot of our national income from trade, been a proponent of a global free trading environment. And so we will make that case to President Trump and as we will, about the importance of the strategic importance of AUKUS. And AUKUS is clearly strategically important to Australia, but it's strategically important to the United States. Something which is consistently reiterated by voices in America is about how important AUKUS is to them. And I'm sure that will be spoken about in the conversation between the Prime Minister and the President.

SARA: Just finally and briefly, you're looking at the AUKUS review in the US You've said that Australia will participate in the Pentagon's review of the pact. In what way? How do you envisage that will be?

MARLES: Well, we'll engage with the reviewers and the Department of Defense about how AUKUS is tracking in Australia. You know, the way in which we're going about to meet our deadlines for the Submarine Rotational Force-West, which is all on time and on schedule. And we will talk to them about what we can do, particularly in respect of that in terms of the sustaining and maintaining of Virginia class submarines in the US Navy, which of course gets more sea days for those submarines. And that's really important in terms of upping the production rate in the United States, but importantly, just as importantly, upping the sustainment and maintenance rate of Virginia class submarines. We engaged with the United Kingdom when they did their review, which is perfectly natural. And, of course, when we did the Defence Strategic Review, we also went to both the United States and the United Kingdom and sought their views. So, it's a pretty natural process that we all engage in each other's reviews.

SARA: Minister, thank you for your time this morning on breakfast.

MARLES: Thanks, Sally.

ENDS