Updated ,first published
Washington: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks against Iran will “significantly increase” in the coming week.
Katz spoke on Saturday (Israel time), hours after US President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Middle East.
As the battle enters its fourth week, it shows no signs of slowing down.
Iran said its Natanz nuclear facility was hit in an airstrike on Saturday but there was no radioactive leak.
Israel said Iran continued to fire missiles early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it shot down 20 drones in just a few hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to large oil rigs.
A day earlier, Anthony Albanese rejected Donald Trump’s suggestion that Australia reject his request to help in the war in Iran, with the prime minister saying Australia had “done what we have been asked to do” in relation to the conflict.
The dispute came as the United States temporarily lifted sanctions on about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already at sea – its latest bid to boost global energy supplies as prices rise.
Earlier, Trump told reporters in Washington that he was surprised Australia “said no” to his request to help in the war in Iran, and called on Canberra to “get involved”.
Asked what he wanted Australia to do, Trump said: “They should be involved … I was a little surprised that they said ‘no’ because we always say yes to them.”
The president was answering a question from Sky News Australia as he boarded a US military helicopter to leave the White House, bound for Florida. He didn’t answer more questions than noise.
It was not immediately clear what Trump meant when he said Australia had rejected a request to help. However, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles previously accepted US requests for assistance in the Iran operation, without giving specific details.
Australia has agreed to provide defense assistance to the United Arab Emirates by sending the E-7 Wedgetail reconnaissance aircraft to the Gulf, following a request from the UAE.
But on Saturday (AEDT), following Trump’s remarks, the Albanians denied there had been any US request for Australia to help in the war effort.
“I don’t know that at all,” he said. “The fact is that we have said ‘yes’ to the UAE’s request for the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft. That is working there, with the crew. We continue to provide the support that we have been asked to provide.”
Insisting on Trump’s comments, Albanese said: “He hasn’t asked. So, I’m not going to speculate. We’ve done what we’ve been asked to do. I’m not interested in commenting on everything that somebody else is saying.”
Marles, who also appeared on Saturday, insisted that there was no request from Washington for Australia to help in opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has spent weeks pressuring allies – particularly members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – to support the war or help reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moves.
On Thursday (Washington, DC, local time) the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said they were ready to contribute to “appropriate efforts” to help open the vital shipping route.
The British government has now also signed up to allow the US to use British military bases for “defensive operations” to destroy Iran’s missile sites and anti-ship capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
The move to control oil prices came as Trump said the United States was close to achieving its goals in Iran and that he was considering “winding down” military operations.
He has named the goals as: degrading Iran’s missile capabilities, destroying its industrial base, eliminating its navy and air force, preventing it from developing nuclear weapons, and protecting US allies in the Middle East such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others.
Trump suggested the U.S. could pull out and leave policing to allies who were more dependent on oil exports from the Middle East.
“The Strait of Hormuz will have to be protected and policed, when necessary, by the other Nations that use it – the United States does not!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If asked, we will assist these countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it will not be necessary once the Iranian threat is eliminated. More importantly, it will be a simple Military Operation for them.”
But Trump’s statement seemed to contradict his administration’s move to send more troops and warships to the region and request another $200 billion ($284 billion) from Congress to fund the war.
The president also rejected the idea of declaring a ceasefire in Iran for now, and expressed confidence that the Strait of Hormuz would “open up” despite allies’ reluctance to provide aid.
“It’s a simple military maneuver. It’s safe,” he said. “But you need a lot of help, in the sense of: you need ships. You need volume. NATO can help us, but they, so far, have not had the courage to do so. And others can help us.”
with Ellie Busby and AP
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Michael Koziol is the North American correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, deputy editor of the Sun-Herald and federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect through X or email address.
