The federal government has suspended its embassy in Iran and rushed out Australian diplomats in Tehran across the border into Azerbaijan as fears of a major war in the Middle East continue to mount.
It is also ramping up its warnings to Australians in Iran, urging them to make their own way out of the country by road if they can safely do so.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government had directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependents and suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran based on advice about "the deteriorating security environment in Iran".
She warned the situation was volatile.
"The government has a responsibility to ensure the safety of our staff ... we do not have to cast our minds back too far in history to understand the risk to foreign officials in Iran in times of unrest," Senator Wong said.
The ABC has been told that Australian diplomats — along with family members — spent almost 24 hours travelling by car to get out of the country as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes, and as President Donald Trump contemplates US military action against Tehran.
At least some of those Tehran-based diplomats are expected to stay in place near the Iran-Azerbaijan border as they work to evacuate more Australians from Iran.
The minister said she was conscious that the embassy's closure would add to difficulties for Australians seeking to leave the country, but said staff continued to work on contingency plans for when Iran's airspace reopened.
"We are really conscious it is difficult. I wish it were not so, I wish that we had more capacity to assist, but the difficult reality is the situation on the ground is extremely unstable," Senator Wong said.
Foreign embassies have been repeatedly targeted before during crises in Iran, most famously during the 1979 Revolution when US diplomats were taken hostage.
In 2006, paramilitary groups attacked the Danish embassy in Tehran to protest cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper, while Azerbaijan's embassy was attacked in January this year.
Senator Wong hoped the embassy would be able to reopen.
More urgent warnings for Australians
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is also now issuing more urgent warnings to Australians in Iran, saying that it "urge[s] Australians who want to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe".
"Australians in Iran who are unable to leave, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place," it said.
Just over 2,000 Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members have now registered with the federal government to say they want to leave Iran.
The travel advice tells Australians they can potentially leave by road to Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, but also warns roads "may be crowded and exposed to security risks such as military action, rocket attacks and terrorism".
"You should consider the risks carefully before attempting to leave by any route and you should make your own assessment whether it's safe for you to travel in current circumstances," it said.
"If you are not confident in the safety and reliability of any departure option, shelter in place and follow the advice of local authorities."
The advice also said Australians would need a visa to cross most of those borders, with the exception of Armenia.
One DFAT official — who is not based in Iran — told the ABC that the Tehran-based diplomats should have been evacuated from the country earlier and that the government and senior DFAT management in Canberra had been too slow to grant their request to leave.
The US State Department directed all non-essential personnel at its embassy in Iraq to leave the country on Wednesday last week, just before Israel's initial strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
A separate government source defended DFAT's response, saying it had to juggle a host of competing imperatives in a very fluid and uncertain environment.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US Department of State said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Penny Wong had a call where they agreed to "continue to work together closely to commit to a path of peace and ensure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon".
It came as the federal government and DFAT officials intensified efforts to get more Australians out of Israel, as well as Iran.
The government has been preparing to send in either Australian Defence Force or chartered flights out of the region for stranded Australians, but said it was impossible to take that step right now with airspace closed and as missiles continue to fly.
Flights to major international airports in both Israel and Iran remain suspended, while Iraq and Jordan have also suspended many flights in the midst of the conflict.
The government has already organised buses to help a small number of Australians, believed to measure in the dozens, to leave Israel.
Senator Wong said on Thursday that the government had "taken the opportunity to get a small group of Australians out of Israel through a land border crossing" on Wednesday, and was "seeking to try and do more of that over the next 24 hours".
Some other Australians have also been turning to private transport companies to get out of Israel.
Many European countries have already repatriated hundreds of citizens from Israel, largely by bus to Egypt and Jordan, where they have been able to take flights back home.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has also said their embassy was "working on evacuation flights and cruise ship departures" for "American citizens wanting to leave Israel".
While organising evacuations from Iran is more complicated, China has said that it has now assisted more than 1,600 of its citizens to leave the country.
Beijing said on Thursday its "embassies and consulates will continue to make every effort to assist in the safe transfer and evacuation of Chinese citizens".
Around 1,000 Pakistanis have also fled Iran so far, along with at least 110 Indian students.
