Anthony Albanese has weighed in on Donald Trump dropping the F-bomb after becoming frustrated that Iran and Israel violated a ceasefire brokered by the US president.
The US president attacked on both nations for breaching the agreement in the early stages, saying “they don’t know what the f*** they are doing” on live television.
His comments came after Israel accused Iran of breaking the truce.
The prime minister said Mr Trump’s views on the situation in the Middle East were obvious, while also calling for the ceasefire agreement to remain in effect.
“President Trump made some pretty clear statements. I don’t think it needs any further reflection. I think that he stated his views pretty abruptly and I think they were very clear,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Launceston on Wednesday.
“We want to see peace in the region, we want to see a ceasefire, we want to see de-escalation, and that is consistent with the very clear comments of President Trump.”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said Australians shouldn’t be concerned about the words used.
“Far be it from for Australians to quibble with that kind of language,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“We heard some blunt speak from the president, and I think that just reflects the fact that the stakes are high in the Middle East.
“I think those who haven’t used that word privately can cast the first stone.”
Meanwhile, a Royal Australian Air Force jet carrying more than 100 Australians trying to escape the conflict in the Middle East, has flown out of Israel after airspace was reopened.
Speaking from the NATO summit at The Hague, Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed that the 119 passengers left Tel Aviv in the early hours of Wednesday.
Mr Marles said the government had also chartered civilian aircraft for future departures “in certain circumstances”.
There are still about 3000 Australians in Iran who have registered with the government for help to leave, and more than 1000 in Israel.
The prime minister said it was a welcome development that Australians had managed to leave the region safely.
“That is very good news. We will always prioritise the safety of Australians,” Mr Albanese said.
“The situation is obviously very volatile there, our hope is that Australians are kept safe. So at the moment there are, of course, not flights out of Iran.”
The latest conflict erupted on June 13, when Israel fired missiles at Iran in a bid to blow up military assets, arguing it was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons.
The battle took a turn on the weekend when the US launched a bombing raid on Iran, blowing up three underground nuclear facilities.
The airspace in both countries was shut to passenger aircraft, leading to the evacuation of Australian embassy staff and their dependents from Tehran.
But the current ceasefire has not calmed the fears of Iranians in Australia who are worried about bombs killing their friends and family and the threat posed by Iran’s autocratic Islamic government.
Persian Australian Community Association member Nader Ranjbar, there was hope the conflict could help de-stabilise the Iranian autocracy and pave the way for a new, democratic government.
Without a new regime, he is concerned that the current administration will intensify its persecution of the Iranian people.
“That’s my worst fear,” he told AAP.
“That somehow they get away from this mess and the first thing they do is start killing Iranian people.”
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