Washington: Donald Trump again took aim at Australia for not assisting him with the war against Iran, as the price of oil surges amid fears that the conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz may continue for weeks.
Describing Iranian negotiators as both “great” and “strange”, the US president said it was Tehran – not him – that was desperate for an off-ramp, while suggesting an agreement to end the war may not be possible.
“They are begging to make a deal, not me,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that. I don’t know if we’re willing to do that. They should have done that four weeks ago … The reason they want to make a deal is they have been just beat to shit.”
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed the US had shared a 15-point “action list” with Iran via Pakistani mediators that could serve as the basis of a peace plan. Witkoff said there were “strong signs” that Iran could be convinced that it was at an “inflection point” with no desirable alternatives.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar appeared to play down the chances of initial, in-person talks as soon as this weekend. He said there had been “unnecessary speculation in the media” about peace talks and, in reality, indirect talks were taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan.
The price of Brent crude, the international oil standard, rose nearly 6 per cent on Thursday (US time) to more than $US108, while the average national price of petrol was poised to tip over $US4 ($5.80) a gallon – upping the pressure on the Trump administration over the domestic impact of what Trump calls his “excursion” in Iran.
The president again lashed out at allies for failing to help, and criticised Australia unprompted after he was asked about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to aid the war effort.
“[Starmer] did something that was shocking. He didn’t want to help us,” Trump said. “Australia, too – Australia was not great. I was a little surprised by Australia.
“I wouldn’t say anybody was great, other than the five countries in the Middle East. We never really had very much support.”
Trump said the Iran operation was “little league” and he doubted any allies would support the US in the event of a “big league” conflict. “And that’s not fair. And we have to remember that as a country.”
It is not the first time Trump has condemned Australia among other allies. Last week he said he was surprised that Australia, Japan and South Korea had not said yes to requests for help “because we always say yes to them”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia did what was asked of it, which was to assist the United Arab Emirates with an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft.
Trump’s latest remarks came after Israel claimed it had killed Iranian commodore Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy, and other senior naval commanders in an airstrike overnight.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with whom the US is reportedly dealing, congratulated pro-government protesters in Iran following more demonstrations on the streets of Tehran.
He said the protesters’ persistence had “created the conditions for a historic victory for dear Iran”, and “no one can issue an ultimatum to Iran and the Iranian people”, according to an automated translation on X.
Meanwhile, US news site Axios reported the Pentagon was preparing multiple options for a “final blow” against Iran that could involve invading or blockading Iran’s crucial Kharg Island oil terminal, invading the island of Larak in the Strait of Hormuz, or seizing Abu Musa and other islands near the entrance to the strait.
Members of the elite US military’s 82nd Airborne Division are being deployed to the Middle East, along with thousands of Marines. Trump has made no decision about their duties, the White House says, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president simply wanted to have options.
Republicans in Congress are increasingly voicing disquiet following classified briefings about the operation in Iran, accusing the Pentagon of withholding information.
Nancy Mace, a Trump ally from South Carolina, said she would not support putting American troops on the ground, and called for Congress to be given a “greater say” on the war, despite opposing such moves earlier.
“The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee,” she said on Wednesday (Washington time).
“This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people.”
Speaking at a Republican fundraising dinner in Washington on Wednesday night, Trump told lawmakers he was no longer going to call the Iran campaign a war.
“They don’t like the word ‘war’ because you’re supposed to get approval,” he said. “So I’ll use the word ‘military operation’, which is really what it is.”
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.