Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday urged US President Donald Trump to provide a greater clarity regarding the strategic objectives underpinning the ongoing war in Iran, according to Reuters.
“I want to see more certainty in what the objectives of the war are, and I want to see a de-escalation,” Albanese said.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East. These strikes have killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and top security and defense officials in the country.
Iran has been responding with a retaliatory counterattack in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering unprecedented disruptions to energy supplies especially after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
As a critical waterway, the Strait of Hormuz handles approximately a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and roughly one‑fifth of all liquefied natural gas flows.
Due to the escalating tensions, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that the waterway was unsafe. Therefore, the authorities halted ship movements.
Australia has deployed aircraft to support the defense of the United Arab Emirates at its request as the UAE has encountered more Iranian attacks than any other country in the region, including Israel.
However, Australia ruled out the dispatch of naval vessels to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
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