Australia urged to resist Donald Trump’s Iran war push and avoid Strait of Hormuz conflict, expert says
Australia is being urged to resist Donald Trump’s push for support in the Iran war, as pressure mounts on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Australia and other allies of the US should continue to resist Donald Trump’s call to war and pressure Washington to end the conflict with Iran, a foreign policy expert says.
The American president named a number of nations, including Australia, in a blistering social media post as the international community refused to join the war in the Middle East.
Mr Trump requested a naval coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran closed in response to the US-Israel war.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.One-fifth of the world’s oil supply is transported through the major shipping route, with the price of fuel skyrocketing as a result of the conflict.
Australia didn’t ask for the war and nor should it contribute to the conflict, says United States Studies Centre Associate Professor David Smith.
“The best thing for Australia is to stay as far away from the Strait of Hormuz as possible,” he said.
“There’s a risk that allies sending navies is going to prolong the conflict.”
Dr Smith said Mr Trump’s “inconsistent” statements indicated the US president couldn’t decide the objectives of the war, let alone what victory looked like.
“Allies of the US need to try to persuade it to end the conflict as that is the most likely way to reopen the strait,” he said.
The Albanese government says no formal US request has been made to send a warship and Australia would not be doing so.
But Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi said all of America’s allies and partners should work with the US to secure and reopen the oil corridor.
“That doesn’t mean having to support the US blindly or uncritically,” he said.
“This should be treated as a demonstration to the US — not one where we sit back and say ‘you broke it, so you fix it,’ but rather an opportunity for the rest of the world to show that democracies need each other and must work together, including with the US, in the face of common threats.”
Australia has deployed a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail plane to the Middle East to help monitor the region.
An Iranian strike landed near an Australian base in the United Arab Emirates shortly after 9am on Wednesday (AEDT).
