A lengthy cabinet meeting in Washington saw US President Donald Trump single out Australia among allies he said failed to help secure the Strait of Hormuz during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia,” he said.
While Australia declined Trump’s requests to send vessels and troops to the strait, it signed a joint statement supporting efforts to protect the waterway.
This isn’t the first time Trump has criticised Australia about its support. Earlier this month, Trump stressed that the US did not need help from allies in the Iran war and criticised NATO and countries including Australia after they refused to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need’, or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!,” he said, warning he would “never forget” which nations did and did not offer assistance.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles responded to this criticism, emphasising that Australia had not ignored any requests given from the White House and he disputed Trump’s depiction of Australia’s response to the Iran conflict.
“All we can do is respond to this situation, respond to the requests that are made of us, but doing so with a focus on what is in Australia’s national interest,” Marles said.
“The one request we’ve had from the United States has been in respect of providing support to the Gulf states.
“While the deployment of the E-7 [aircraft] was in response to a request by the UAE, that’s actually what it is doing.”
He added that Australia has considered every request from all countries, including the US, and had signed onto the UK-led statement supporting the reopening of the strait.
“Obviously, we answer them in the context of our national interest and defending the states of the Gulf is really important given our relationship to them, but also because the UAE is home to one of the biggest expat populations,” Marles said. “We will continue to respond to this. We are playing our part.”
Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, saying talks were “going very well” and warning the US would be Iran’s “worst nightmare” if it refused a 15-point peace plan. He insisted that Iran “are begging to make a deal.”
Iranian officials rejected the proposal as “one-sided and unfair” but said diplomacy had not ended. They maintain that no direct negotiations with the US were taking place.
The remarks highlighted uncertainty over whether any real talks are underway. US officials framed the situation as an “inflection point” and urged Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions or face further “death and destruction.”
Since the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28, Iran has carried out attacks on Israel, US bases and Gulf states, while effectively disrupting fuel exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
“They now have the chance, that is Iran, to abandon their nuclear ambitions permanently and to join a new path forward,” Trump said at the White House.
Source: ABC News
