Donald Trump has again accused Australia of not doing enough to assist the United States in the Middle East, saying he was “not happy” that Australia was not present when asked to help in the Strait of Hormuz. The US president made the comments as he left the White House, responding to reporters including Australian correspondents.
Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, stated that there had been “no specific request” from the US regarding the Strait of Hormuz. “We’ve not received a specific request in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, but we’ll work with all partners, our allies, and that very much includes the US,” Marles told ABC Radio National.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also said there had been “no new requests” from the US. Australian officials noted that Australia has already deployed a Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to the Gulf region to assist in the defence of the UAE, with its initial deployment extended for another month.
Marles emphasised that Australia would contribute to operations in the Strait of Hormuz when circumstances allowed, but planning was dependent on developing conditions. He said Australia was working with the US, UK, and France on the matter.
Shadow defence minister James Paterson described the situation as “very unfortunate,” pointing to a contradiction between the Australian and US governments’ statements. Trump had previously alleged that Australia, along with other allies, had rejected requests for assistance in the Middle East.
