Australia Rules Out Sending Assets to Hormuz

Australia Rules Out Sending Assets to Strait of Hormuz

by Zulfick Farzan 16-03-2026 | 2:17 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Australian government has confirmed that it is not sending defence assets to the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing speculation that a formal request for assistance would be made by the United States as tensions continue in the Middle East.

Australian Labor Party spokesperson Patrick Gorman said Australia’s focus remains on defensive actions and on supporting partners in the region through measures aimed at protecting civilians.

“Our efforts on defensive actions to assist friends in the region and to supply to the United Arab Emirates some additional weaponry that they’ve required, that’s where our focus has been,” Gorman said.

Addressing speculation about potential requests from the United States to deploy Australian forces to the Strait of Hormuz, Gorman said no such request has been received and stressed the government’s caution in discussing hypothetical scenarios.

“When it comes to speculation on requests that we haven’t received, for obvious reasons in the context of the very serious situation that we have in the Middle East, I feel uncomfortable speculating,” he said.

Gorman said Australia is deliberately cautious about the deployment of its military assets and has chosen not to proactively send forces into the region.

“Your viewers would understand that we’re quite cautious about how we deploy Australian defence assets, so that’s why we’re not proactively sending an asset,” he said.

He noted that other countries already operating in the region have significantly closer military capabilities, while Australia has opted for a different approach.

“Some of those who are sending assets into the region already have extensive assets much closer to the region than Australia,” Gorman said.

He added that the government’s decisions are guided by a focus on civilian protection rather than escalation.

“We’ve chosen to focus our efforts on defensive actions to keep civilians safe. That’s our focus and that’s where we’ve chosen to make decisions,” he said.