Iran war: Trump didn’t ask Australia to help US secure Strait of Hormuz help, Marles says
The US President has gone to China for help with the Strait of Hormuz before Australia, a senior minister has revealed.
The US has not asked Australia to send warships to the Middle East to force open the Strait of Hormuz, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says.
The chokepoint between southern Iran and the northern tip of Oman has been effectively closed since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran late last month, cutting a fifth of the world’s oil supply and spiking fuel prices across the globe.
US President Donald Trump has had a hard time recruiting allies for a proposed naval coalition to protect ships traversing the strait and even turned to China for help.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Mr Marles, who also serves as defence minister, said on Tuesday that Australia had not been approached to help out.
“We’ve not received a request from the United States in respect of the Straits of Hormuz,” he told Nine’s Today.
“We’re not contemplating sending a ship, but we’ve not received a request.”
Speaking to the ABC earlier, Mr Marles also ruled out any offensive action against Iran.
“Our position is really clear – we have taken some measures in terms of the deployment of our E7 (Wedgetail) aircraft, for example, to provide for defensive measures in respect of the states of the Gulf,” he said.
“That’s where we are at. We are not a part of the action that has been undertaken by the United States and by Israel, and we’re really clear in terms of Australia’s national position.”
Meanwhile, opposition frontbencher Andrew Hastie cast doubt on whether Australia could deploy a ship to the Middle East.
“The first thing I’d say is when we last received a request for naval support, back in December 2023 under President Biden, we weren’t able to put a vessel into the Middle East to open up the Red Sea … because we didn’t have counter missile activities on our ships,” the special forces veteran told Sky News.
“And so the question I have now is, if the government does get a request, and they are considering sending young Australians in the harm’s way, I want to make sure that they have the best (chance) possible to defeat Iranian drones and missiles. And unless we get that guarantee, I don’t think it’s a good plan at all.”
Originally published as No US request for Strait of Hormuz help, Marles says
