Iran says it is closing Strait of Hormuz after reported attacks; Australia pressed on US ‘blockade’ stance
Australia’s deputy prime minister has faced sharp questions over Canberra’s position on US operations in the Gulf after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it is closing the Strait of Hormuz and two Indian‑flagged ships reported being fired upon while attempting to transit the waterway.
The vessels reported they were hit by IRGC gunboats a day after Iran’s foreign minister said the strait was open to commercial traffic. The IRGC has since said it is closing the chokepoint, escalating uncertainty along one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
In an interview, David Speers pressed Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles about comments by US President Donald Trump on Friday that he was “not happy with Australia” because it “was not there when we asked them to be there” regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
Marles declined to offer a running commentary on the president’s remarks, saying Australia had received no specific request to contribute any particular assets to any operation in respect to the strait. “There has not been a specific request for any Australian capability,” he said.
Speers also asked whether Australia’s E‑7 Wedgetail aircraft, deployed to help defend Gulf states, particularly the United Arab Emirates, was providing information to US forces. Marles said effective support for the UAE required coordination with the region’s Combined Air Operations Centre, based at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, but argued it would not be accurate to characterise the Wedgetail as assisting a US blockade.
“What this capability is optimised to do is not really something that would be useful in terms of the US blockade,” he said. Asked directly whether Australia supports what Speers described as the US blockade of Iranian shipping traffic, Marles said he would not second‑guess American decisions, which he framed as a response to Iran’s initial move to close the strait.
“I think what America wants, as we all want, is ultimately to see the Strait of Hormuz open,” he said. Pressed on whether that equated to support, he insisted he had not said that. Marles reiterated that Australia’s actions would be guided by its own assessments and that any contribution would depend on a specific request.
He said the objective shared by Australia and others is for the strait to remain open to navigation.