Labor MPs were privately alarmed about the Albanese government\u2019s immediate response to the US and Israel\u2019s bombing of Iran, including a statement that offered unreserved support for the legally questionable attack that sparked the war.<\/p>\n
Guardian Australia can reveal the concerns were aired during a meeting of Labor\u2019s left faction after the first strikes on Iran in February, which triggered the conflict that has since spread across the region.<\/p>\n
Details of the meeting have been unreported until now after the Labor caucus quickly fell into line behind the prime minister, Anthony Albanese<\/a>, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles.<\/p>\n Ten days into the war, the federal government on Tuesday announced it would send a specialist surveillance aircraft<\/a> and stocks of air-to-air missiles to help defend the United Arab Emirates from Iran\u2019s retaliatory attacks.<\/p>\n Albanese said Australia would not be part of an offensive action against Iran and would not deploy troops to the Middle East, as the Greens voiced fears that Australia could be \u201cfully dragged into another US forever war\u201d.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n Australia was among the first countries to publicly endorse the US and Israel\u2019s strikes via a statement from Albanese, Wong and Marles on the evening of Saturday, 28 February<\/a> \u2013 a matter of hours after the attack.<\/p>\n \u201cWe support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n Guardian Australia has confirmed the statement caused angst among several Labor MPs, who privately questioned why the government was rushing to endorse strikes that were likely in breach of international law.<\/p>\n The omission of any reference to international law, the rules-based order or explicit acknowledgment that Iran was being bombed confounded some MPs, who raised concerns with senior ministers including Wong.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s decision to immediately endorse the attacks was in contrast with its response to the US\u2019s bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites<\/a> in June last year, when it waited almost 24 hours before publicly backing it.<\/p>\n About 48 hours after last month\u2019s strikes started, members of Labor\u2019s left faction had what sources described as a \u201crobust\u201d debate about the government\u2019s position at their regular sitting week meeting.<\/p>\n Wong was not present at the 2 March meeting but sources confirmed that the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, answered questions on her behalf.<\/p>\n Guardian Australia confirmed details of the meeting with six Labor sources, all of whom requested anonymity regarding confidential internal discussions.<\/p>\n As the conflict unfolded last week, Albanese, Wong and Marles continued to endorse the strikes while maintaining it was up to the US and Israel to explain whether the attacks were consistent with international law.<\/p>\n