Australia will not send naval forces to Strait of Hormuz: Minister

ISTANBUL

Australian Transport Minister Catherine King said Monday that her country will not send naval forces to the Strait of Hormuz, ABC Radio National reported.

Answering a question from ABC on whether the US had asked for Australian naval support, King said she was not aware of any such request.

“It's something we're not contributing to. I'm not aware of whether there's an ask,” she said.

“We're well prepared here in this country to weather the economic crisis that is occurring as a result of the Middle East, but we're not planning to send a ship,” she underscored.

Her remarks came after US President Donald Trump called on allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which a significant share of the world’s oil passes, making it critical to international energy markets.

The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of energy market concerns since Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced its closure to most vessels amid US-Israeli attacks against the country that began on Feb. 28.

Prior to the war, around 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait daily. Its disruption has pushed up oil prices.

US-Israeli attacks on Iran have so far killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.