SYDNEY — Australia has asked the family members and dependants of diplomatic officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to leave the country, following an escalation in the conflict in the Middle East as several Gulf cities came under Iranian bombardment.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the US-Israeli military strikes against Iran, which have driven up global energy prices, disrupted business and snarled air travel.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the security situation in the region had deteriorated.
"Our travel advice has been updated to reflect that direction. We continue to advise Australians not to travel to the UAE," Wong said in a post on X on Sunday (March 8) night.
More than 1,700 Australians have arrived in Australia so far on commercial flights from the UAE, Wong said.
About 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the conflict began 10 days ago.
Australia, a close US ally, has said it would not deploy troops to the Middle East if the conflict escalates, but suggested on Sunday it was considering requests to help protect countries from Iranian drones and missiles.
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