Khaberni - In a notable development in Tehran, Australian Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong today (Tuesday) called on all Australians in Iran to leave immediately, as long as commercial options are available, warning that the Australian government's ability to provide consular services in Iran is very limited.
The call came in a tweet posted by the minister on her official account on the platform (X) this morning, where she wrote: "Our ability to provide services in Iran is very limited. I urge any Australian still in Iran to leave now while commercial options are available."
Australia's stance on Iran's protests
The minister accompanied the tweet with a video showing the Australian government’s support for the Iranian people against the regime, emphasizing condemnation of the use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests.
This call comes in the context of escalating widespread popular protests in Iran for more than ten days, which began primarily due to the severe economic crisis, currency devaluation (the Rial has lost about half of its value against the dollar during 2025), and inflation rising to record levels (exceeding 42% in December last year), then turned into political protests against the regime in more than 111 cities.
The Australian government also warned of the risks of arbitrary arrest (especially for dual nationals), and confirmed that commercial flights might soon stop, and the airspace may be closed, making departure impossible later.
International warnings and calls to depart
Australia is not alone in issuing this stark warning. It has been preceded or coincided with many Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain, Sweden, France, and New Zealand, which also urged their citizens to depart immediately amid a joint assessment that the situation is heading towards a greater security collapse.
American escalation economically and militarily
In a related development to the events, the American President announced imposing a 25% customs tariff on any country that trades commercially with Iran, and Trump said in a post published on the platform "Truth Social": "From now on, any country that deals commercially with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a 25% customs tariff on all its trade transactions with the United States,” confirming that the decision is final and binding, and there are no exceptions.
Trump's announcement of economic sanctions on Iran coincided with escalated news about the military options presented against Iran, and according to CBS News, Trump has reviewed new options for launching possible military strikes against Iran, amid escalating tension between Washington and Tehran.
