Updated ,first published
Washington: US President Donald Trump said he was surprised Australia “said no” to his request to help with the war in Iran, and called on Canberra to “get involved”.
Asked what he wanted Australia to do, Trump said: “They should get involved… I was a little bit surprised that they said ‘no’ because we always say yes to them.”
It was not immediately clear what Trump was referring to when he said Australia had refused a request to help.
The president was responding to a question from Sky News Australia as he boarded a US military helicopter to leave the White House, bound for Florida. He did not respond to further shouted questions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has previously said there had been no request from Washington for Australia to send a warship to the Strait of Hormuz.
The Albanese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A short time later, Trump said the US was getting very close to meeting its objectives as it considers winding down its military efforts in the Iran war.
He called on countries that use the Strait of Hormuz to guard and police it “as necessary”.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it – The United States does not!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday (Washington time).
“If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated,” he said.
Trump’s statement seemed at odds with his administration’s move to send more troops and warships to the region and request another $US200 billion ($284 billion) from Congress to fund the war.
His comments also came shortly after he had rejected declaring a cessation of hostilities in Iran, while expressing confidence the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “itself” despite allies’ reluctance to offer assistance.
“I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” Trump said earlier Friday at the White House. “We’re not looking to do that.”
The president was evasive about his plans for Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil export hub. US officials have said the White House is ordering hundreds of Marines to be deployed to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize the outpost.
“I may have a plan or I may not, but how would I ever say that to a reporter?,” Trump said.
On Monday (US time), Trump called out Australia, Japan and South Korea for not assisting in the operation, at the same time as he said the US did not need their help. “WE NEVER DID!” he said in that post.
He has been especially critical of the United Kingdom for not sending aircraft carriers to assist, and of the US’s NATO allies for not participating in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, on Thursday, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they were ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts” to help unblock the crucial shipping passage.
The British government has now also signed off on allowing the US to use UK military bases for “defensive operations” to degrade Iranian missile sites and capabilities that are being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
With Reuters, AP, Bloomberg
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.