Australia won’t Follow US into Iran

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has ruled out his country’s involvement in any United States-led military action in Iran. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh has been writing about the possibility of a US strike on Iran for the past 18 months.

Hersh says US President George W Bush is now focusing on getting support from allies, including Australia.

Downer says he does not believe America is planning to invade Iran, but if the US did pursue that path, Australia would not follow.

“The American position is that they just don’t rule in or rule out the military option,” he said.

“That’s particularly in the context of Iran’s nuclear program, which the whole of the international community is concerned about.

“We’re not planning to get involved with any military action against anybody.”