Australia’s plea to Iran and US as Strait of Hormuz closes again

Australia is calling on Iran and the United States to intensify efforts to negotiate an end to their war after the Iranian regime again closed off the Strait of Hormuz and began firing at ships, just a day after reopening the critical waterway.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that it would prevent ships passing through the strait while a US blockade on Iranian ports remains in place, a move Iran says violates the terms of a ceasefire agreement.

As the regime claimed victory in the war, Iranian state media confirmed reports that two Indian ships came under fire and had to turn around after trying to pass through the strait over the weekend, underlining the precarious situation in an area crucial to the global oil trade.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the closure of the strait was “a disappointing development” that highlighted the fragile nature of the ceasefire agreement struck this month.

“I think what we need to see now is every diplomatic avenue being pursued to turn this temporary ceasefire into one that is permanent, to obviously open the Strait of Hormuz, to return the global fuel supply chain to normality and to put events on a pathway to peace,” Marles told the ABC’s Insiders.

“That’s certainly what’s in Australia’s interest. It’s obviously what’s in the world’s interests, and that that’s really the direction that we need to see events take.”

The current ceasefire is set to expire within days, heaping pressure on Iran and the US to make progress to prevent a return to full-scale combat.

Marles said he would not “second guess” the US decision to block ships from leaving Iranian ports, describing it as “a reaction to the fundamental decision that Iran has made to block the Strait of Hormuz”.

“I can understand the American reaction to that,” he said.

“They are the ones who are in the midst of whatever negotiations are happening right now, and ultimately what we want to see is the Strait of Hormuz open.”

As the government prepares for another meeting this week to co-ordinate global efforts to safeguard the strait, Marles said that “we are clearly going to help”.

Australia will join a military planning conference to be held in London this week after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined dozens of world leaders on a phone hook-up on Friday night to begin co-ordinating efforts to allow safe passage through the strait when the conflict ends.

Marles declined to comment on exactly what assistance Australia would provide.

“There is a lot of thought going on about what kind of operation there might be when circumstances allow,” he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said dozens of countries had agreed to contribute to a “strictly peaceful and defensive” multinational coalition to protect the strait when the war ends.

US President Donald Trump again lashed out at US allies and partners on Sunday, declaring in a social media post that while Israel “knows how to WIN” others had “shown their true colours” by not joining in the fight in the Middle East.

Trump berated Australia last Friday for failing to help the US reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as Albanese insisted no formal request for assistance had been made.

“I’m not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there,” Trump told reporters outside the White House.

Pressed on whether Australia had rebuffed any informal US requests for Australian assistance during the war, Marles said: “I’m not about to go into a whole lot of conversations that have happened.”

The IRGC navy warned in a statement that “no vessel is to move from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman” and declared “approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered co-operation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted”.

India ​said it had called in ‌the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi and flagged its “deep concern” over ​the attack on two Indian-flagged ​ships attempting to cross the ⁠Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

A distress message from one of the tankers was released, capturing the confusion that ensued during the firing.

A crew member on board the crude oil tanker Sanmar Herald can be heard trying to communicate with the Iranian navy in the 30-second audio clip, saying: “Sepah [IRGC] Navy. Sepah Navy. This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald. You gave me clearance to go. My name is second on your list. You are firing now. Let me turn back.”

Iran’s powerful Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, claimed in a televised address on Sunday that Iran had been “victorious in the field” during the war and had only agreed to a temporary ceasefire because the US submitted to its negotiating demands.

Ghalibaf said Iran had resolved some points of contention with the US through talks, but that “there are still major gaps on others, and we are far from a final agreement”.

Iran was ready to resume the war if the negotiations collapsed, he said.

“If they make even the slightest mistake, we will respond with force,” he said.

As he convened meetings with top officials in Washington, Trump said negotiations had been making progress, but he would not allow Iran to “blackmail us” over the strait.

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