The US is seeking to pull Australia into its escalating row with Tehran, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting Canberra’s help to secure shipping routes against “unprovoked attacks” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Pompeo and Pentagon chief Mark Esper met with their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Linda Reynolds, in Sydney on Sunday.
The US hopes Australia “will partner” with Washington and “confront the Islamic Republic of Iran’s unprovoked attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Pompeo told reporters after the talks.
Also on rt.com Iran seizes foreign oil tanker in Persian Gulf - state mediaMinister Reynolds confirmed that the US is seeking Australian help in dealing with Tehran but “no decision has been made” so far.
The request the US has made is a serious and complex one, that’s why we’re giving this request serious consideration.
“We will ultimately as we always do, decide what’s in our sovereign interests,” Reynolds said.
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Source : RT - Daily news
Washington urges Australia to ‘be partner’ in confronting Iran in Gulf standoff
Washington urges Australia to ‘be partner’ in confronting Iran in Gulf standoff
