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Australia considers US request to send warship to Red Sea as Houthis target shipping lanes

14 December 2023 02:39 (UTC +04:00)

The United States has asked Australia to send a warship to the Red Sea amid ongoing attacks on commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia, APA reports citing The Guardian.

The request, made recently, came from the US navy which wants the vessel to join an international taskforce, of which Australia is one of 39 member nations.

The US-led CMF aims to combat smuggling, piracy and narcotics in international waters around the Middle East.

The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said the Australian government already contributed to maritime security in that “often dangerous part of the world”.

“When we get these kinds of requests from time to time, the usual practice would be for the defence minister to consider that, to recommend to colleagues whether [and] how we respond to that request,” he told the ABC on Thursday.

“As I understand it, there has been a request made and we’ll consider it in the usual way.”