The Defence Minister says the conditions are not yet ready for an Australian warship to be sent to the Middle East, but “planning” talks are continuing with the United States about a future naval deployment to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump has now paused an effort to guide stranded vessels through the crucial waterway while Washington seeks a deal with Tehran, but a US blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place.
Citing “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement with the representatives of Iran”, the US President announced the US military’s “Project Freedom” would be halted for “a short period” to see if a deal can be finalised.
“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom ... will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalised and signed,” Trump wrote on social media.
When asked by reporters overnight about the involvement of Indo-Pacific nations in securing the Strait of Hormuz, the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth again said he hoped Australia would “step up”.
Responding on Wednesday, Defence Minister Richard Marles stressed that having the maritime route open was “really important to Australia’s national interest” but conditions were not yet ready for a naval deployment.
“We are engaging with our friends and allies, with France and the UK, but with the US as well, in terms of a range of planning meetings about what future scenarios might look like in respect of the Strait of Hormuz”.
“But that is all contingent on when conditions allow any operation to occur. Those conversations continue, it’s obviously difficult to speculate about what that might mean in terms of Australian contribution,” he added.
Pressed on Secretary Hegseth’s comments and whether the United States had made a formal request for assistance, Mr Marles noted that an Australian surveillance aircraft was already helping to defend Gulf states from Iranian attacks.
“We don’t have a direct request, no. We are engaging in, conversations, planning conversations with the United States, with the UK, with France. All of it is really contingent on what circumstances allow in the future, and no one knows that yet.”
“And so it is impossible to be putting in place and operate a specific operation, and it doesn’t serve to kind of speculate what we may or may not contribute to any given operation, so I won’t do that, but we are very much a part of those conversations.”
Hours earlier US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined “Project Freedom” efforts that began on Monday to escort stranded tankers out of the strait which has been virtually shut since the war began, blocking around 20 per cent of world oil supplies.
Mr Rubio and other senior US officials said earlier on Tuesday that Iran could not be allowed to control traffic through the strait after the country effectively sealed off the waterway by threatening to deploy mines, drones, missiles and fast-attack craft.
The United States has countered by blockading Iranian ports and mounting escorted transits for commercial vessels. The US military said on Monday it had destroyed several Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones.
Speaking at the White House, Rubio told reporters the US had achieved its objectives in its initial military campaign against Iran, which was launched on February 28 alongside Israel.
“Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur,” Mr Rubio said.
Mr Marles said the US had made it clear that it had “significantly degraded Iran’s capabilities” to acquire a nuclear weapon, which he described as an “important objective”.
“We have, from the outset, made it clear we support that objective. And as I say, in terms of the public statements of the United States, they are saying that they have gone a long way down the path of meeting that objective,” Mr Marles said.
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