Donald Trump criticises Australia for third time in a fortnight over Iran war support

For the third time in a fortnight, Donald Trump has called out Australia for what he sees as the Albanese Government’s failure to adequately support his war in Iran.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a swift supporter of Mr Trump’s decision to join Israel in bombing Tehran at the end of February.

But that hasn’t been enough for the US President, who repeated his specific criticisms of Australia after a Cabinet meeting at the White House overnight.

“Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say anybody was great other than the five countries in the Middle East.

“We never really had very much support. They should get involved, and I was a little bit surprised that they said no, because we always say yes to them.”

Mr Trump did not specify what support he expected from Australia or whether he had directly asked for any extra assets.

But NATO said that Australia was involved in a 30-country coalition exploring how to secure sea lanes, following Tehran’s de facto closure of the vital shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia has also sent a surveillance plane to the Gulf at the request of the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Trump has repeatedly berated Europe, Japan, Korea and Australia for not supporting his war with military assets even though NATO boss Mark Rutte said that 30 countries, including Australia, were looking at helping secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking on the ABC, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Australia had answered the US’s call but did not rule out further action.

“Very early on, we’ve committed an E‑7 aircraft to the defence of the Gulf states — it’s actually a significant commitment from Australia. The one request we’ve had from the United States has been in respect of providing support for the defence of the Gulf states,” he said.

“We’re looking at all the requests that we get from countries around the world, including the United States, and obviously we answer them in the context of our national interest and defending the states of the Gulf is really important given our relationship with them, but also given that the UAE particularly is home to one of the largest expat populations of Australia that there is.

“So, we will continue to respond to this. We are playing our part. We have signed on to the UK‑led statement around providing for the opening up of the Straits of Hormuz when conditions allow, and we will continue to play our part.”

James Paterson, the Opposition’s defence spokesman, said President Trump was contradicting the Albanese Government.

“The Albanese Government has consistently said there has been no request from the Trump administration to join the Iran conflict,” he said.

“President Trump has now seemingly contradicted these statements multiple times. The Government should be upfront: have we been asked? Did we say no? If so, why?”

Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia’s Defence and Security Institute, cautioned against reading too much into Mr Trump’s ongoing attacks on Australia.

“President Trump’s comments aren’t helpful, particularly during an ongoing campaign where coalition cohesion and messaging matter. But they shouldn’t be overread,” she said.

“The fundamentals of the Australia–US alliance remain strong, and Australia has already made a real contribution through the E-7 deployment. Australia’s focus should now be on how Australia continues to build capability and influence within the alliance.”

Mr Trump also lashed out at NATO which he said had been proved a “paper tiger”.

“We’re very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing,” he said. “They didn’t come to our rescue.”

“This was a test for NATO, (will) they help us? They don’t have to, if you don’t do that, we’re going to remember, just remember this in a couple of months from now.

“Never forget.”

He said that Europeans were only willing to help once the war was over and that they should have been involved from the outset.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said a multi-country coalition was forming to secure sea lanes.

“When it comes to making sure that sea lanes are opening up again, and if they have opened up again, that collectively, we are able to, as a world community, to make sure that ships can sail there,” he said.

“We have now 30 countries coming together, many from NATO, but also Japan and Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and Bahrain, and the UAE, but most of them from NATO, to discuss and then implement the question of the what, the where and the when, when it comes to making sure that the sea lanes stay open.”

NATO is a defensive alliance that has only ever activated its mutual defence clause, Article 5, once, when allies, including partner countries including Australia fought alongside the US in Afghanistan.

Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull out of NATO unless the Alliance lifted its defence spending.

Data released by NATO in its annual report released overnight, showed that Europe and Canada spent US$574 billion ($A832b) on defence, a 20 per cent increase on the year prior.

Every member exceeded the previous 2 per cent benchmark and three member states had already exceeded the new 3.5 per cent target.

The report singled out Australia’s support for Ukraine, including its contributions to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List scheme to buy Ukraine weapons from the US, training for Ukrainians and the deployment of a surveillance aircraft to safeguard the delivery of military and humanitarian assets into Ukraine via Poland.

US media reported that the United States was considering using funding provided by European and Ukraine’s supporters, including Australia, through the PURL scheme to buy Kyiv weapons, to fund weapons for its war against Iran.

But NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said: “Everything that NATO allies and partners have paid for through PURL has been delivered or continues to flow to Ukraine.”

The Trump administration has eased sanctions on Russian oil since starting its war against Iran, which has led to a global oil price shock, with Tehran closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio linked Europe’s reticence to get involved in Iran to US support for Ukraine.

“It was a couple of the leaders in Europe who said that this was not Europe’s war. Well, Ukraine is not America’s war, and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country in the world,” Mr Rubio said.

“So, it’ll be something to examine that the President will have to take into account down the road.”

Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in 2022.