Trump is rallying nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. Australia is wary
United States President Donald Trump has not requested Australia send a warship to the Strait of Hormuz as he seeks to form a multinational coalition to protect global oil trade, and such a request would likely be met with caution by the Albanian government.
As the war between Israel, the United States and Iran enters its third week, the regime in Tehran is preparing for a long struggle. And oil prices are rising as the key trade route remains effectively closed.
Trump used a social media post on Sunday to list countries, including China, that he believes should send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect oil tankers from Iranian attacks.
“Many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, will send Warships together with the United States to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump said in his post on the TruthSocial platform.
“I hope that China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and others affected by this artificial restriction will send ships to the region so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a threat to a completely decapitated nation.”
In a later post, Trump said that all countries that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of global oil trade, should help protect it.
“This always had to be a team effort and now it will be,” he said.
Trump told NBC News over the weekend that he wasn’t ready to make peace with Iran because “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
The closure of the Bosphorus for the last two weeks has brought the world to the brink of an oil crisis. At the end of last week, the price per barrel was again above $100. Average petrol prices in Australia are $2.20 per liter.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced on Friday that hundreds of millions of liters of fuel would be released from Australia’s reserves to bolster short-term confidence, but resisted announcing further measures to ration fuel if the Iran war continues.
Government sources speaking on condition of anonymity said on Sunday that Australia had not received a formal request from the United States to send a ship to the strait.
Sources said any request would be taken into account, but the government was not keen on sending significant naval assets to the Middle East and its priority was the Indo-Pacific.
The government has said it is focusing on Australia’s immediate region while rejecting a US request to send a warship to the Red Sea in 2023 to help defend it from attacks by Houthi rebels.
The coalition opposed the decision at the time not to send warships to the Red Sea, but appeared more cautious about any possible request to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
Opposition defense spokesman James Paterson said: “If a formal request was made by the US it would need to be considered as being contrary to our national interests, including their ability to operate safely in a highly contested strategic environment.
“Australia’s primary focus remains the Indo-Pacific.”
Initial reactions from other parts of the world were similarly cautious.
A British Ministry of Defense spokesman said the UK was “currently discussing a range of options with our allies and partners to ensure the security of shipping in the region”.
Takayuki Kobayashi, a senior figure in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said sending Japanese military ships to the Middle East to escort the ships would face “huge obstacles” and should be “carefully evaluated”.
The Australian government announced last week that it would send an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates to defend against Iranian attacks, supported by the Coalition and criticized by the Greens.
Military experts have said Australia is unlikely to agree to send a warship to the Middle East while the war continues.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Malcolm Davis said: “I don’t think we’re sending a warship into the Strait of Hormuz at the moment.
“Our primary area of interest is the Indo-Pacific region, which means the best option for us may be to replenish the US military in the Indo-Pacific and free them up to send more resources to the Strait of Hormuz.”
The threat of Iranian drone, missile and naval mine attacks would make it too dangerous for many countries to agree to send their marines to guard the Strait of Hormuz, Davis said.
He said Australia could contribute to protecting the oil trade in a post-conflict scenario, perhaps by sending a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft or refueling aircraft.
Jennifer Parker, an associate researcher in maritime studies at UNSW, said she thought Australia was unlikely to send a warship to the Middle East during the war.
