Tense moment Richard Marles dodges key questions about the Middle East conflict: 'Not going to second guess'

By NICHOLAS COMINO, POLITICAL REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:25, 19 April 2026 | Updated: 04:25, 19 April 2026 Richard Marles has deflected questions about the extent of Australia's role in the Middle East conflict and US President Donald Trump's blockade.  ABC Insiders host David Speers repeatedly pressed the Deputy Prime Minister on whether Australia supports Trump's naval blockade of Iran.  Iran abandoned plans to keep open the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, vowing to restrict transit while the US blockade remains. Trump responded by accusing Tehran of using the strategic waterway as a bargaining chip, saying Iran must not be allowed to 'blackmail' the United States. 'Do you support this blockade or not?' Speers asked. 'I'm not about to second‑guess America's reaction in the context of that,' Marles said.  When Speers noted Marles wouldn't state Australia's position, the Defence Minister again sidestepped.  'What I'm saying is I'm not going to second‑guess the decisions that they're making,' he said.  Marles (pictured) did not give a direct yes‑or‑no answer on Australia's Middle East involvement Marles added only that he could 'understand the American reaction'. Speers grilled Marles about Australia's military presence in the Gulf, in particular the E‑7 Wedgetail surveillance aircraft currently deployed.  The Defence Minister said the Wedgetail had been sent 'at the request of the UAE' and was focused only on defending Gulf states. 'It's there to provide for the defence of the countries of the Gulf, principally the UAE,' Marles said.  'It's about being able to provide visibility of threats, particularly those that become airborne.' Marles made it clear the aircraft was not tasked with supporting the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and insisted its mission was solely air defence, not maritime enforcement.  'That is actually a bit different to what one might do in respect of any particular operation in relation to the Strait of Hormuz,' he said. When asked whether intelligence gathered by the Wedgetail could be shared with the US, Marles refused to answer directly, saying military capabilities do not operate in 'yes‑or‑no' terms.  David Speers (pictured) asked Marles 11 times about Australia's involvement in the Middle East He described the Wedgetail as 'optimised' to detect airborne threats to Gulf states, saying questions about its relevance to the blockade were 'not relevant in the context of what this capability is doing'. 'I don't think it'd be right to characterise that,' he said, repeatedly calling the deployment a 'defensive mission'. Attention then turned to Trump's complaints that Australia had refused a US request for support in the Strait of Hormuz.  On Thursday, the US president told reporters he was 'not happy' with Australia's involvement in US-led efforts in the region. 'Well, I'm not happy with Australia,' Trump said.  'Because they were not there when we asked them to be there. They were not there having to do with Hormuz. I'm not happy. I'm not happy.' Asked if Trump was referencing the blockade, Marles again refused to engage.  'I can't give a running commentary on what the president says,' he said. Marles said the E‑7 Wedgetail deployed to the Middle East was conducting a defensive mission Speers pressed further, asking if any form of request, formal or informal, had come from the US.  Marles replied only, 'there has not been a specific request', and did not clarify whether broader discussions had taken place. When told Trump claimed Australia was asked and declined, Marles simply said, 'I've articulated what Australia's posture is.'  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.