It was the same haste that saw Labor sign up to AUKUS barely 24 hours after being briefed on the deal by the then Morrison government.

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Within hours of the first missiles striking Iran, Anthony Albanese declared Australia's support for the US-Israel military action. As for its legality, that was up to the US and Israel to explain, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. A bet each way, if ever there was one.

Of course, the PM was correct when he said few would mourn the death of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a ruthless autocrat who has exported terrorism and visited brutal repression on his own people.

What the PM failed to say, however, was that many would mourn the death of international law, collateral damage in the military assassination of the leader of a sovereign country.

The 1973 New York Convention lists heads of state as internationally protected people.

As Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in response to the killing of Khamenei, "It is an age-old convention that the heads of state/government should not be targeted."

Aware of this convention, several American presidents prohibited the killing of foreign leaders by the US.

Executive Order 11905, signed in February 1976 by then president Gerald Ford, banned the US government from engaging in or conspiring to engage in political assassination. The order came after the Senate Church Committee unearthed plots by the CIA to hit the leaders of Cuba, South Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and the Congo.

Jimmy Carter went a step further in 1978 with Executive Order 12036, which strengthened the ban. And Ronald Reagan added his proscription with Executive Order 12333 which forbade people working on behalf of the US government from engaging in assassination plots.

These orders are now meaningless. We know the CIA provided Israel with Khamenei's precise location, facilitating the assassination. Trump even bragged about the agency's ability to track Khamenei during the 12-day war last June.

Albanese's haste in supporting the action might come back to bite him in ways he should have anticipated. The surge in oil prices yesterday could be a taste of things to come, with one energy analyst warning of an oil shock far worse than those of the 1970s should the Strait of Hormuz be closed to shipping.

The inflationary effect of higher gas and fuel prices would be a disaster. For the government and for ordinary Australians struggling with a cost of living crisis that seems never-ending. That narrow path of defeating inflation while maintaining full employment will become razor thin if we're confronted with an energy shock far worse than the one triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Of course, there's a possibility things could go the other way. Should the regime change objective of the military campaign be achieved and Iran rejoins the international community as a responsible nation, oil prices would plummet as sanctions are lifted.

With information out of Iran severely limited by the internet blackout, it's impossible to predict how events will play out. Small crowds cheering the death of Khamenei compared to thousands taking to the streets to mourn is not a promising sign.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Is the killing of Ali Khamenei another sign the international rules based order is over? Was the government too hasty in backing the joint Israel-US action? Do you remember the oil shocks in the 1970s? How did they affect you? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

- More than 100,000 Australians are in the Middle East as the US-Israel war on Iran continues, and the federal government warns stranded citizens commercial flights will be the fastest way to get home.

- A young freshwater crocodile has been given a clean bill of health after her adventurous weekend travelling down a suburban creek well south of the tropics. The yet-to-be-named reptile was captured on Sunday night in a delicate operation in Ironbark Creek in Newcastle.

- Home prices in Australia's biggest cities are treading water while smaller capitals notch record growth as new data suggests the cycle has become a tale of two vastly different markets.

THEY SAID IT: "Insofar as international law is observed, it provides us with stability and order and with a means of predicting the behavior of those with whom we have reciprocal legal obligations." - J. William Fulbright

YOU SAID IT: One word about Grace Tame ruined Anthony Albanese's week. The word salad with which he followed it up made it worse.

Big Russ exercises his poetic licence: "We should drink to Grace Tame, so let's raise our glasses/And toast this grand person who breaks down impasses/When all is said and done/She's a difficult one/For she asks hard questions, And never licks arses."

"Politicians will smoosh anyone if it looks like the person will help them get ahead," writes Cate. "In opposition it seemed like Albo was different, how wrong was my perception. He does not have the character that Gough Whitlam or Paul Keating did as PM and he would lose government at the next election if the current opposition wasn't so useless. If Grace is difficult then so am I. As a woman I support her. Side eye to all politicians."

Elaine's word for Grace Tame is "courageous": "She says what she feels which can and often will make people think and feel uncomfortable but at least she is honest about her feelings."

"I'm 65 and have been described as 'difficult' for my entire adult life," writes Julie. "I wear the label with pride and am looking forward to becoming even more 'difficult' as I get older. I love Grace. Her uncrushable spirit, her refusal to simply sit in a corner, smile and 'be nice'. More women need to be like Grace more often."

Jan writes: "Sticking up for our PM is not my norm. However, I am disgusted and appalled that anyone, regardless of previous award status, would say, 'Spare me the condescension, old man.' In my opinion, the televised screaming of hate speech by that person, showed an out of control, demeaning rant."

"A rude, arrogant young woman sums up Grace Tame," writes Katherine. "Disrespect for our nation's highest office does not an advocate make. There is nothing that makes Grace Tame's opinion anymore worthwhile than mine or anyone else's."

Patricia writes: "Grace Tame is resilient, steadfast, courageous. The so-called apology from the prime minister was pathetic and made his word 'difficult' even worse. Weasel words. A genuine apology should have been swift and graceful. Yes, I've been seen as difficult. A school principal, who did not like to be challenged, made several of us women out to be 'difficult.' This in a school, where the majority of staff were women. Any of us who questioned him in any way were targeted. He made it his mission to bully each of us, until we eventually moved to another school or resigned from the teaching."

"As an admirer of outspoken women as far back as Germaine Greer, I was disappointed with Grace Tame's 'old man' reposté to Albanese's pratfall with 'difficult'," writes Daniel. "I thought his explanation was reasonable and could have been let pass. I hope Grace Tame can find peace as she grows old."

Tom writes: "I wouldn't try to use a word to describe Grace Tame. I'm sure a book could be written, and Ms Tame is certainly worthy of it. However, 'globalise the intifada' is an aggressively provocative slogan potentially carrying very dangerous implications. Mr Albanese's word salad is as usual regrettable. He is no wordsmith. But I understand the difficulty he was in. He needed to distance the government from a carelessly dangerous statement without engaging with it in a way that would create yet another pointless aggressive confrontation that would be twisted and exploited mercilessly by right wing media. His situation was difficult."

Assassination shouldn't become the new normal

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