Australia says UAE deployment remains defensive after reports of strikes on Iran

Australia has said its military deployment to the United Arab Emirates remains defensive, after reports that the UAE has carried out strikes on Iranian targets.

The Albanese government said the presence of an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail aircraft and 85 support personnel in the UAE does not amount to involvement in any offensive action against Iran.

The aircraft was sent in March at the UAE's request.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that the mission was intended to provide defensive support for airspace above the region, including help to protect Australians and other civilians.

The Wedgetail has a radar range of 400 kilometres, according to the Department of Defence.

The development matters because it recasts the UAE as an active combatant in the Iran war, rather than only a target of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Those attacks have resumed in the past week as negotiations over a longer-term peace deal have been disrupted.

The UAE has previously said it has borne the brunt of missile and drone strikes from Iran.

A senior UAE minister said in March that Iran's actions against neighbouring countries were unprecedented and described them as "almost unhinged".

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