Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning system aircraft and around 85 personnel to the United Arab Emirates for an initial four-week mission to help defend Gulf airspace against Iranian missile and drone attacks, according to a media release from the Australian Ministry of Defense published March 9. The ministry added that Australia will also supply advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates, though it continues to rule out an offensive military role.

The deployment follows confirmation that several Australian sailors were aboard the U.S. submarine that sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka on March 4, though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has emphasized the sailors did not participate in the torpedo strike. It also reflects pressure from partners for additional defense support as Iranian attacks continue to affect Australian interests in the region, such as the March 3 drone attack on al-Minhad Air Base near Dubai (which hosts the Australian Defence Force's Headquarters Middle East). There are also roughly 115,000 Australian nationals in the region. Australia expelled the Iranian ambassador in August 2025 and later designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization following intelligence findings that it orchestrated antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.