LATIKA M BOURKE: Anthony Albanese shows rare clarity in decisive backing of Israel and United States

Anthony Albanese showed rare clarity in immediately backing Israel and the United States’ strikes on Tehran.

Unlike last year’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, when the Australian government took more than 24 hours to even provide a formal position, this time was different.

The prime minister was one of the first to provide a lengthy statement. But it was not just the immediacy of his response; unlike the UK and many European nations, including the powerhouses Germany and France, Australia actually backed US President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran.

“We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security,” he said.

He listed the reasons for supporting the crassly-named Operation Epic Fury, although interestingly, Mr Albanese did specifically refer to Israel’s role in taking out the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his henchmen with Saturday’s daylight strikes on Tehran.

The reasons included the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on its own people, Tehran’s development of its nuclear and ballistic missile program, and the violence it sponsors via its regional proxies.

He also pointed to the two attacks on Australian soil that ASIO has revealed were orchestrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Australian PM was joined by his left-wing partner in crime Mark Carney, who also strongly backed Trump’s strikes.

This was surprising as the pair, along with the UK, led by Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer diverged from the rest of the Five Eyes, the US and New Zealand, to recognise Palestine as a state at last year’s UN General Assembly.

Given the IRGC’s direct attacks on Australia and the Bondi attack, Mr Albanese may have had little choice but to back the strikes, but he showed quick decisiveness on an issue where others dithered.

The European Union called a meeting for Monday, drawing ire from experts who have long criticised it’s lackadaisical approach, reviving that comic scene from Yes Minister about the European armies taking their weekends off.

How the US efforts to enact regime change in Iran end up is unknown.

And it represents great danger to the region and wider global security, given the West’s past record in toppling Middle Eastern dictators.

But when history looks back, Mr Albanese will have put Australia on the right side by supporting the action that killed one of the world’s most evil and brutal dictators in Ali Khamenei.