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Australia’s prime minister has been forced to rebuff another bout of criticism from its most important ally, reiterating there has been no direct US requests for military support in the Middle East.
As Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, Donald Trump 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.”
Anthony Albanese responded by saying the US administration had not asked for additional assistance in the region, Australian Associated Press reports.
The prime minister told reporters on Friday:
There’s been no new requests at all, and indeed President Trump has himself said that he has got this, and he has made that position clear. There’s been no change.
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 after a request from Gulf countries for defences from missile attacks, Albanese said.
Updated
