Australia orders diplomats’ families out of UAE as regional tensions escalate

Sydney, March 9 – Australia has asked family members and dependants of its diplomatic staff in the United Arab Emirates to leave the country following an escalation in the Middle East conflict, after several Gulf cities came under Iranian bombardment, officials said on Monday.

Penny Wong said the government had updated its travel advisory as the regional security environment deteriorated, urging Australians to avoid travel to the UAE.

“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 late on Sunday.

Wong said more than 1,700 Australians had already returned home on commercial flights from the UAE since the conflict intensified.

Approximately 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the fighting began about 10 days ago, raising concerns about the safety of nationals across the region as hostilities escalate.

The conflict has disrupted air travel and business activity while pushing global energy prices higher, as military strikes involving the United States and Israel target Iran.

Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not seeking negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran.

His remarks come as governments across the region reassess security risks and the safety of their citizens.

Australia, a close ally of the United States, has said it would not deploy troops to the Middle East if the conflict expands. However, officials indicated on Sunday that Canberra was considering requests to help protect countries from Iranian drones and missile threats as regional tensions intensify.