Australians have been urged to leave Iran and warned against flying to the region as travel chaos erupts across the Middle East.

Airlines have suspended flights across the Middle East, including to and from the world’s busiest travel hub, Dubai, after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Flight maps showed airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain ‌virtually empty after the strikes began, and Iran retaliated with missiles.

Australia upgraded its travel advice for Israel and Lebanon to ‘do not travel’. A diplomatic crisis centre has been established.

“Australians should leave now if it is safe to do so,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

It comes as Australia throws its support behind the people of Iran amid the co-ordinated US and Israel attacks against the nation.

Tehran has been pounded by explosions and air strikes, pushing the Middle East into another hugely consequential conflict.

In a statement, the prime minister said Australia stood with the people of Iran in their struggle against oppression.

“For decades, the Iranian regime has been a destabilising force, through its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, support for armed proxies, and brutal acts of violence and intimidation,” Anthony Albanese said.

Australia and its international partners called on the Iranian regime to uphold the human rights of its citizens, Albanese said.

“These calls have gone unheeded,” he said.

“Instead, the regime has instigated a brutal crackdown on its own people leaving thousands of Iranian civilians dead.

“A regime that relies on the repression and murder of its own people to retain power is without legitimacy.”

Albanese also pointed to recent Iranian attacks on Australian soil, including those targeting Jewish communities.

He described Iran’s nuclear program as a threat to global peace and security.

“We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security,” the prime minister said.

-with AAP