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Agadir – After US President Donald Trump called on various countries to assist in securing maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz, some of Washington’s most important allies, such as Japan and Australia, have indicated that they have no intention of deploying their ships to the region.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil shipments travel, has emerged as a major point of concern due to attacks on ships and threats to maritime routes.
Trump has emphasized that nations that are heavily reliant on the Gulf energy resources should be tasked with providing the route with security.
In a series of statements to reporters, Trump said the US has already made contact with some nations regarding this issue, including China, France, the UK, Japan, and South Korea.
‘Very bad for the future of Nato’
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there. If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview.
Despite this appeal, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi informed parliament that Tokyo had not made the decision to send ships to the region. Such a move must operate within the legal boundaries of the constitution, he argued.
“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Takaichi stated.
Australian authorities have also indicated that Australia would not be sending warships to the Gulf region. The country’s transport minister, Catherine King, said Australia had not been asked to provide naval forces and was not planning to do so.
“We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” Catherine King, a member of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s cabinet, said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC.
This comes as tensions in the region impact energy supplies and maritime movements. Analysts have warned that if tensions persist in the region around the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, global oil supplies could be significantly impacted.
