CANBERRA – Australia has ruled out deploying naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz as the US seeks allied support to protect one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes amid the widening Middle East conflict. “I’m informed that we’re not intending to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz,” Ms Cath»»»

Oil prices rose again, with Brent crude hitting $106 a barrel early Monday before retreating slightly to over $104 as an escalation in Middle East tensions persists. The price increase in the global crude benchmark came after oil futures resumed trading around 2200GMT on Sunday. It also comes after»»»

AdvertisementJapanThis Week in AsiaPoliticsTrump wants Japanese warships in Hormuz. Can Takaichi ‘dodge the bullet’?The Iran war complicates Trump-Takaichi talks, putting her in a bind between US demands and constitutional limits on military action 3-MIN READ3-MINJulian RyallPublished: 8:00am, 16 M»»»