The US has urged Australia to join a “global coalition” to police troubled Persian Gulf waters as an emboldened Iran announced it had seized another tanker.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used a whirlwind weekend trip to Australia to ask for help to make the Strait of Hormuz safe for international ships passing Iran.
The request comes as Australia negotiates with the US to buy millions of barrels of oil to boost dangerously low levels of fuel held on domestic soil.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: US and Australia have an ‘unbreakable relationship.’
MORE: https://t.co/ykweMevBOK pic.twitter.com/QmltRAymzD
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 4, 2019
The Morrison government is talking with the Trump administration to access the oil from America’s own fuel reserve, as Australia searches for a means to address dwindling local supply.
Australia has enough petrol and crude oil to last just 28 days – well below the 90 days mandated by an international agreement.
Energy Minister Angus Taylor said Australia was talking to the US about tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
“The government has undertaken a second initiative since the election to ensure that we continue to deliver increased security for Australians,” he said on Monday.
“Access through a contractual arrangement would greatly boost our stocks and flexibility of supply.”
Read the article in The New Daily.