Australia has defended its Middle East support after Donald Trump called its contributions “not great”, stating it is fulfilling the only US request received.
SYDNEY: Australia has defended its efforts to assist the United States and allies in the Middle East. This follows criticism from President Donald Trump, who described Canberra’s contributions as “not great”.
Trump has urged allies like South Korea, Japan and Australia to send warships to secure oil routes through the Strait of Hormuz. He singled out Australia while expressing frustration over a perceived lack of support.
“Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia,” he said during a White House cabinet meeting.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said Canberra had fulfilled all formal requests. He suggested Washington had not asked for naval support.
“The one request we’ve had from the United States is to provide support for the Gulf states,” Marles told Nine News. “Which is, in fact, what we are doing — and that’s where we see our national interest.”
He confirmed Australia deployed a long-range military surveillance plane to help the United Arab Emirates defend against Iranian strikes. War has engulfed much of the region since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.