Sydney: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that Australia welcomes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and will consider deploying military assets to secure shipping in the region.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney, Albanese welcomed Iran’s announcement that the Strait has completely reopened for all commercial vessels during the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
“This was positive news that we received last night,” Albanese said. “We want to see, though, this fragile arrangement confirmed.”
Asked if Australia would deploy military assets to ensure shipping remains open, Albanese said the government would consider any such requests.
“Australia obviously is a long way away as well from the Strait, compared with European nations. It’s fair to say that we’ll give consideration to requests which are made when we come together,” he said.
Albanese was speaking alongside Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who said that Australia has increased its strategic fuel reserves over the last week, reports Xinhua news agency.
Bowen said that Australia had 46 days’ worth of petrol in the national stockpile as of Saturday, as well as 31 days’ worth of diesel and 30 days’ worth of jet fuel.
Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that, in line with the truce in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared “completely open” for the remaining period of the ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X hours after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect following more than a month of deadly escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has claimed over 2,000 lives.
Araghchi stressed that vessels can cross the Strait via the previously announced coordinated route announced by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization.
In reaction to the announcement, US President Donald Trump thanked Iran for the announcement of a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz by denying safe passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States after they launched joint attacks on the country on February 28.
The United States has also imposed a blockade on the strait, preventing ships travelling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway, following the failure of peace talks between the Iranian and US delegations in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Saturday and early Sunday.
(IANS)
