Australia Rules Out Sending Naval Forces to Strait of Hormuz

(MENAFN) Catherine King, the transport minister of Australia, stated on Monday that Canberra has no plans to deploy naval vessels to the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, as reported by sources.

When asked whether the United States had approached Australia for maritime assistance, King indicated she had not been informed of any such request. “It's something we're not contributing to. I'm not aware of whether there's an ask,” she said.

She also emphasized that Australia is focusing on managing potential economic impacts linked to the escalating tensions in the Middle East rather than participating militarily. “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.

King’s remarks followed a call from Donald Trump urging allied nations to assist in safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway is considered one of the world’s most critical maritime passages because a large portion of global oil shipments travels through it, making it essential to international energy supply chains.

Concerns about energy markets have intensified since Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait largely closed to shipping amid ongoing military strikes against Iran by Israel and the United States that began on Feb. 28, according to reports.

Before the conflict escalated, roughly 20 million barrels of crude oil moved through the waterway each day. Disruptions to this flow have contributed to rising global oil prices.

According to reports, the ongoing attacks on Iran have resulted in approximately 1,300 fatalities, including the country’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

In response, Tehran has launched waves of drone and missile attacks directed at targets in Israel, Jordan, Iraq, as well as Gulf states that host American military facilities.

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