Australia will not send naval ships to help reopen Strait of Hormuz

SYDNEY — Australia will not send naval ships to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a government minister said on Monday.

"We won't be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that's not something that we've been asked or that we're contributing to," Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's cabinet, said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC.

Around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, that has been effectively shut for weeks since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday the Trump administration plans to announce as early as this week that multiple countries have agreed to form a coalition that will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Australia has already provided aircraft to assist with the defense of the United Arab Emirates after a request from the country. — Reuters