Scott Morrison, Boris Johnson discuss coalition to protect shipping

Scott Morrison spoke to the British PM about joining a global coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards patrol around the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero anchored off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Picture: AFP.

Scott Morrison has spoken to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson about possibly joining an international coalition to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian forces.

The Prime Minister said this morning he was open to joining a US-led convoy in the Persian Gulf but stressed it had to be a multilateral operation.

“Freedom of navigation and safe shipping lanes is very important to the global economy,” Mr Morrison said in Townsville today.

“I spoke to Boris Johnson last night and indicated to him that we were looking very closely at our participation in this initiative which we would see a international, multi-national initiative. Not a unilateral initiative by anyone country.”

British ships have recently been seized in the Strait by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the new UK prime minister agreed to join a US-led mission earlier this week.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requested Australian assistance in the Strait of Hormuz at the AUSMIN talks in Sydney last weekend, when he sat down with Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds.

Mr Morrison reiterated today that the mission would be purely about protecting shipping, not Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and that he has not decided whether Australia will join the convoy.

“It’s about de-escalating tensions and making sure the current situation does not worsen.

“We’ve engaged with both the United States and the United Kingdom in understanding what role Australia should play. We have made no decisions on this … it’s a while, I think, until these things come together.”