Leaving Canberra for the moment, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with Foreign Minister Penny Wong to discuss Iran and efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.
Rubio and Wong also reaffirmed their commitment to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, and Rubio underscored the strength of the US-Australia alliance and its importance to the security and stability of the region, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
Penny Wong spoke with Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State. Alex Ellinghausen
Rubio also separately called British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The war on Iran has effectively closed the strait, causing the biggest disruption to the energy market in history.
Before the war, about 20 per cent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the waterway.
Iran has blocked nearly all ships passing through, while the US has imposed a separate blockade of Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Washington’s Western allies have not been doing enough to back the US in the war, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The US, Australia and Britain have imposed sanctions on Iranian networks and individuals both during and before the war.
Reuters and staff reporter