‘Speculation’: PM Hoses Down US Iran Strike Report
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has played down a report the United States could be preparing to bomb Iran as early as next month. The has cited unnamed senior security figures within the federal government as saying they believed the US was eyeing Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The top-secret Pine Gap base in the Northern Territory and other Australian defence facilities could play a role in identifying targets, the reported yesterday.
But the Prime Minister rejected this as “speculation”. “The story on the which cites senior Australian government sources, has not benefited from any consultation with me, the foreign minister, the defence minister or the chief of the defence force,” he told radio.
“So perhaps you should inquire of the authors of the article.”
The report also quoted one senior security source who emphasised the difference between providing accurate intelligence information on Iran’s facilities, compared to participating in a “kinetic” mission. “Providing intelligence and understanding as to what is happening on the ground so that the Government and allied governments are fully informed to make decisions is different to active targeting,” the source told ABC.
Central Australia’s Pine Gap defence facility reportedly plays a key role in helping the ‘Five Eyes’ identify intel.
Five Eyes is considered the world’s most significant intelligence partnership between the US, Australia, UK, Canada and New Zealand.
US President Donald Trump and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani have locked horns in recent weeks as the US has increased its campaign against Iran.