Australia urges restraint in Middle East conflict in call with US

ISTANBUL

Australia’s top diplomat urged against further escalation in the Middle East in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, local media reported Friday.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke with Rubio earlier in the day and discussed the regional conflict, according to SBS News.

The two diplomats also discussed the strategic Strait of Hormuz and its impact on the global economy and energy security.

“We agreed that the international community must keep working together to ensure critical waterways are not held hostage by the Iranian regime,” Wong said.

“Australia does not want to see the conflict continue to escalate,” she added.

Regional tensions in the Middle East have escalated since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed for most ships the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route that normally handles about 20 million barrels per day, and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade.