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US military bases a potential target following Trump “act of animosity”: Iran ambassador

By Brittany Busch

Iran’s ambassador to Australia has warned US military bases could be targeted following Donald Trump’s “act of animosity” towards Iran.

Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi said the attacks disproved Trump’s claim he was a man of peace and they would have consequences, speaking in an interview with Channel Nine in Canberra.

When asked if that meant the targeting of US military and the closure of key shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, Sadeghi said Iran would do “whatever necessary”.

“Islamic countries all around the world would consider this act of animosity, and they won’t be silent,” he said.

He denied Iran was enriching uranium to a weapons-grade level, and added his nation was friendly towards Australia.

7.55pm

Russia did not know details of US strike: Kremlin spokesman

A Kremlin spokesman has told reporters President Donald Trump did not give detailed strike information to Russian President Vladimir Putin in advance, though they had discussed the possibility of US military involvement more generally.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had offered its services as a mediator between Iran and the US, and what happened next would depend on what Iran needed. He said the fate of a nation’s leadership should be up to the people, referring to about wanting to usher in a regime change in Iran.

He said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi could share Tehran’s proposals in his upcoming meeting with Putin today in Moscow, where it is approaching 1pm.

Peskov condemned the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which he said had increased the participants embroiled in the conflict and ushered in a new spiral of escalation.

Before the US strike, Moscow had warned that US military intervention could destabilise the entire region and plunge it into the “abyss”. Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January, although it did not include a mutual defence clause.