Trump calls out Australia in blistering post declaring the US does not 'need' ally support in Iran

Donald Trump has declared America does "not need the help of anyone" in the war he launched against Iran, days after he called on allies to help reclaim a key oil shipping route.

The blistering statement was posted to Truth Social overnight and specifically named Australia, as well as Japan, South Korea, and NATO, describing the latter as "a one-way street".

"The United States has been informed by most of our NATO 'Allies' that they don't want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East," the social media post read.

"We no longer 'need' or desire, the NATO Countries' assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea."

Treasurer Jim Chalmers brushed off the United States president's outburst on Wednesday, telling the ABC it was "not really something that has been a focus of our discussions, even this morning".

Earlier this week, Mr Trump called on allies to help defend the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded, clogging up the supply of oil to the rest of the world.

Australia was not named in the earlier statements, and the federal government has repeatedly said there has been no formal request for assistance in the strait. Even so, Transport Minister Catherine King on Monday appeared to rule out sending naval support.

"We won't be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that's not something that we've been asked or that we're contributing to," she said.

The treasurer reiterated that he was not aware of any formal request to send ships into the strait on Wednesday.

Australia last week sent an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to the United Arab Emirates in response to a request for assistance from the Gulf nations.

Defence Minister Richard Marles at the time said Australia had received a range of requests for military support, including from the United States.

"And the thrust of that has been in respect of helping to provide for the defence of the Gulf states," he said.

"I'm not going to go into the specifics of it."

Hastie labels statement a 'petulant post'

Andrew Hastie, a veteran and the opposition's shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability, labelled the statement a "petulant post from a president under immense pressure".

"He said from the Oval Office, I think it was, that he didn't expect the Strait of Hormuz to be closed for this long," Mr Hastie said.

"Well, as I like to quote Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face, and the enemy always has a vote."

The former special forces soldier said Australia was not consulted about the war and that "our national interest" was already served by the deployment of the Wedgetail aircraft to the Gulf.

"We've been a long-standing ally of the United States … We've got a proud history, and I just don't think that's how you treat allies," he said.

Opposition defence minister James Paterson offered a more tempered view in a statement, noting that the Coalition has not been briefed on any request for naval assistance from the United States.

"Any further deployment is a sovereign choice for Australia, which must be informed by our national interest and the availability and capacity of relevant platforms," he said.

"While we have a strong interest in the free movement of shipping through the Persian Gulf, Australia's primary region of interest remains the Indo-Pacific."

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Mr Trump's outburst, which he described as "lashing out", underscored the importance of Australia exercising its sovereignty and independence.

"We are dealing with a very different US administration now, and we have to be able to do more to defend ourselves," he said.

"This is straight from the heart. This is what he thinks of us. He does not respect his allies."