‘There is a need to see an endpoint’: Anthony Albanese calls on Donald Trump to set timeline for end to Iran conflict

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged US President Donald Trump to commit to an “endpoint” of the conflict in Iran, amid soaring fuel prices. Speaking on the ABC’s 7.30 Report on Monday night, Mr Albanese said he felt the objectives outlined at the beginning of the conflict had been “largely achieved” but he wanted to see a “de-escalation” and repairs to the global economy. “This has had a devastating impact, and that tail will continue for some time,” he said. “And quite clearly, there is a need to see an endpoint. “I think that’s what people want to see - whether they be people in leadership positions, or people watching this program, they want to know how this ends and what the circumstances are.” The Prime Minister denied this was the beginning of a “rift” between himself and Mr Trump. He said he wanted to see a “recognition” of the economic damage the conflict was resulting in, calling on Mr Trump to clarify a “timeframe” or “clearer objective” what was going to be achieved with further conflict. Thousands of US marines and sailors have already been deployed to the region, amid reports The Pentagon is preparing for ground operations which could last weeks. Australia is not an active participant in any conflict operations but Mr Albanese sidestepped suggestions from host Sarah Ferguson if it was “in the interests of the Australian people” for the war to continue. “I think it is clearly in the interests of the global community... conflict always has a price,” he said. “The conflict has achieved its objectives that were outlined at the beginning.“And I think people want to see an endpoint.” Mr Albanese’s comments come after Opposition Leader Angus Taylor seemingly clashed with former leadership rival Andrew Hastie over a proposal to tax Australia’s gas exports, saying a levy is not a solution to securing domestic supply. Last week, Mr Hastie would not rule out support for increasing the petroleum resource rent tax to 25 per cent, a figure the Greens claim could raise $17bn per year. He said he was sympathetic to the perspective that “multinationals don’t have a social licence” and was therefore open to the idea of a windfall tax. But Mr Taylor – who beat out the Canning MP to win the leadership in February – shut down the prospect of supporting any type of export levy. “I don’t think anything has changed about whether we need more houses, whether we need more gas, or whether we need more oil,” he told reporters in Canberra. “We need all of those things, and you don’t get more of those things by raising taxes, so it’s pretty straightforward for me. “If we want more of something, let’s not tax it more. And we do want more gas, we want more crude oil.” Oil is not the only issue where Mr Taylor and Mr Hastie differ. During his Monday press conference, the Liberal leader was unable to give a straight answer on whether he thought US President Donald Trump had made a mistake by attacking Iran. Instead, he pointed to the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and would not elaborate on the consequences of the US/Israeli campaign in the region. In contrast, Mr Hastie told ABC Insiders the day prior that Mr Trump’s “huge miscalculation” on Iran was hurting Australians. “I thought last year we did the job,” he said, pointing to the US leader’s claim of decimating Iranian nuclear capability during the 12-day war in June last year. “You can take issue with Donald Trump’s rhetoric, it’s all priced in – mean tweets and whatever else – but there wasn’t consultation with allies, because had we had a bit more lead time, we wouldn’t be in the current crisis we are now where we’re trying to secure our liquid fuel.”