Speaking in Washington on March 20 when asked about the reactions of Australia, Japan and South Korea, Mr. Trump said he was "very surprised" that these countries did not send warships to support. He said that allies should have participated, because the US often supports them in similar situations.
In his social media statements, Mr. Trump continued to criticize many NATO countries for not participating in the campaign in the Middle East. He wrote that most allies do not want to contribute, and affirmed that the US no longer needs or expects this support.
The ally's non-deployment of ships takes place in the context of the Hormuz Strait being almost blockaded since the Middle East conflict broke out, seriously affecting global energy transportation. The International Energy Agency warned that this is a major threat to world energy supplies and emphasized that restoring traffic through this route is an urgent priority.
Australia is one of the countries that refused the offer. The country's Navy is facing many challenges as most warships are outdated. The Anzac-class frigates, the current main force, are assessed to have limited capabilities against modern threats such as missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Meanwhile, the more modern Hobart-class destroyers have high deployment costs and may affect long-term upgrade plans.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra had exchanged views with Washington on the situation in Hormuz, emphasizing the need for international cooperation to ensure maritime safety, but did not want to increase tensions.
Analysts believe that deploying warships to high-risk areas like Hormuz at the present time is a difficult decision for many countries, especially when military capabilities and other strategic priorities are limited.
