Anthony Albanese has swatted away Donald Trump’s latest attack over the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, insisting there is ‘no change’ because the US still has not asked Australia for help.
As Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, the US President told reporters in Washington that Australia had not supplied military aid to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
‘I’m not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there,’ he said.
‘They were not there having to do with Hormuz. So I’m not happy. I’m not happy with them.’
Albanese dismissed the attacks on Friday, saying no additional requests had been made from the US for any assistance.
‘President Trump has himself said that he has got this, and he has made that position clear. There’s been no change,’ he told reporters in Geelong.
‘My job is to engage constructively with the US administration. That’s what we do.’
Australia had deployed an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane to the Middle East, following a request from Gulf countries for defences from missile attacks.
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Anthony Albanese over the Strait of Hormuz
The Prime Minister has been accused of not sending military supplies towards the middle east to help reopening it
The Prime Minister said Australia’s position on the war remained consistent.
Albanese also welcomed developments regarding a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which came into effect from 7am AEST on Friday after mediation by the US.
‘We call upon all parties to agree and to abide by this ceasefire. That’s what we want to see,’ he said.
Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein expressed hope about the ceasefire brokered by the US President.
‘(The ceasefire) could become a much-needed and long-overdue peace deal between Israel and Lebanon,’ he said.
‘The planned Netanyahu-Aoun summit, assuming it goes ahead, would be a major historic breakthrough, providing strong reasons for optimism that peace might finally be possible.’
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said Australia needed to work closely with the US in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
‘We don’t even know what has been requested, and the Prime Minister needs to be clear about this,’ he told reporters in Albury.
Defence Minister Richard Marles wouldn’t be drawn into Donald Trump’s comments
Albanese said there is ‘no change’ to Australia’s positioning in the US/Israel-Iran war because Trump has not asked him for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz
‘The American alliance is important to this country, and opening the Strait of Hormuz is incredibly important to the price at the bowser, so we want it opened up.’
Defence Minister Richard Marles reiterated the US has not made a specific request for military support in the Middle East.
‘We’ll work with all of our partners, our allies — and that very much includes the United States — in terms of whatever needs to be done in relation to the Strait of Hormuz,’ he told ABC Radio on Friday.
‘I’m not about to go into a running commentary on what the US president says. I mean, we’re dealing with the situations as we find them.
‘That said, we very much support the strategic objective of denying Iran a deployable nuclear weapon and that capability.’
