By James Glynn
SYDNEY–Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has questioned what remains to be achieved by the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East war.
Iran’s military-industrial base has been degraded, and “that’s a good thing,” Albanese said in a keynote address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday.
“But now that those objectives have been realized, it is not clear what more needs to be achieved, or what the end point looks like,” he added.
“The longer the war goes on, the more significant the impact on the global economy will be.”
The comments followed U.S. President Trump’s address to the American people on the progress of the war, in which he threatened military strikes on Iran’s power plants if Tehran doesn’t reach a deal to end fighting with the U.S.
Albanese said he wants a de-escalation of the war and “greater clarity” on its end, given that the original objectives have “largely been achieved.”
He also announced A$1 billion in financial support for farmers and transport businesses that are affected the most by the record jump in gasoline prices since the war began.
Write to James Glynn at james.glynn@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications
This article has been corrected to reflect that the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is questioning the remaining objectives in Iran. The original headline incorrectly said Iraq.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 01, 2026 23:02 ET (03:02 GMT)
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