Australia has warned of "reprisal attacks and further escalation" in the Middle East after Israel and the United States attacked Iran, plunging the region into a renewed military confrontation.
Israel said it had launched a "pre-emptive strike" on the Islamic Republic, with US President Donald Trump later posting on the Truth social media platform that the US had launched a "massive and ongoing" operation against the, vowing to ensure Tehran will not obtain a nuclear weapon.
The attack comes a day after Oman, the mediator in US-Iran talks aimed at resolving the longstanding nuclear dispute, said the two parties had made "significant progress".
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Smartraveller website was updated shortly after the attack, confirming there had been air strikes on Iran including the capital, Tehran.
"There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region," the Smartraveller website read. "Closure of airspace around transit hubs may impact flights globally, causing delays and cancellations."
DFAT had said earlier this week told Australian diplomats' families in the Middle East to leave amid a "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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