Trump Says He Is ‘Surprised’ by Australia’s Stance on Securing Strait of Hormuz

Australian ministers maintain they were never formally asked.

President Donald Trump departs the White House on March 20, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed his “surprised” at Australia’s absence in helping secure the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s primary oil shipping routes currently blocked by Iran amid the current war.

“[UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer] didn’t want to help us. Australia too was not great, I was a little surprised by Australia,” Trump told media during a cabinet meeting in Washington D.C.

It is not the first time Trump has criticised Australia for its lack of involvement in securing commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is traversed by about one-fifth of global oil traffic.

That logjam has caused fuel prices to spike globally, while panic buying in Australia has contributed to over 500 service stations running dry.

Earlier in March, Trump says he reached out to allies asking for support in the Strait, saying it was aimed out finding out “how they react” to U.S. requests for assistance.

The president said he had received more support from the Middle East nations than from long-time NATO allies, as well as the UK, Japan or Australia.

That pressure eventually led to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Japan all agreeing to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.”

Labor Government Responds

In response, Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles repeated earlier comments from Treasurer Jim Chalmers—that no formal request for support had been made to Australia.

“The last thing I’m going to do is give a running commentary on what the president has said, all we can do is respond to this situation, respond to the requests that are made of us,” he told ABC TV.

“We’re looking at all the requests that we get from countries around the world, including the United States, and obviously we answer them in the context of our national interest.

“Defending the states of the Gulf is really important given our relationship with them.”

Australia has supplied an E-7A Wedgetail military craft to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with 85 defence personnel.

Marles says the UAE request was the only formal request Australia had received since the war broke out.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had a constructive relationship with the president and would not be drawn into commenting on his latest remarks.

“I make the point as well that Australia wasn’t consulted before this action was undertaken. And I respect that. That’s a matter for the United States,” he told ABC.

Australian defence expert Jennifer Parker said Trump’s comments need to be kept in perspective.

“This isn’t the first time a U.S. president has made blunt or off-the-cuff remarks about allies,” she said on X.

“It reflects style as much as substance and shouldn’t be read as a wholesale shift in the relationship.

“The fundamentals of the Australia-U.S. alliance remain unchanged—deep intelligence integration (Five Eyes), military interoperability, shared strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific—they don’t shift on a single comment.”

President Trump revealed on Truth Social that he would delay plans to launch strikes on Iranian energy plants by 10 days as talks continue.