JAKARTA - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied the United States has asked Canberra for additional assistance for the Pentagon's operations around the Strait of Hormuz.
"There is no new request at all. And even President (US) Donald Trump himself has said he can handle it and has clearly conveyed this position. There is no change from the Australian side," said Albanese as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, April 17.
The statement came after Trump criticized the United States and NATO allies for being less supportive of operations related to Iran.
Tehran has largely restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which passes about 20 percent of the world's oil supplies, since the US-Israeli war against Iran began on February 28.
The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since Monday.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles earlier said Canberra was "very interested" in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open because shipping disruptions impacted global energy supplies.
Australia has not confirmed reports of troop deployments to the Middle East, while officials have said they will not comment on special forces movements.
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