Albanese Welcomes Ceasefire, Slams Trump Rhetoric
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Anthony Albanese welcomed the two-week ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran, while criticizing Trump's rhetoric as inappropriate in a Sky News interview, saying 'I don't think it's appropriate to use language such as that from the President of the United States.'
- Trump announced the ceasefire on social media less than two hours before his own deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on civilian infrastructure.
- The ceasefire marked an abrupt turnaround from earlier the same day, when Trump issued an extraordinary warning that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' if his demands were not met.
- Albanese had initially supported U.S. attacks on Iran in the early days of the war but said last week he wanted more certainty from Trump on the conflict's objectives and called for de-escalation by all parties.
- Trump singled out Australia for criticism this week, telling a news conference 'Australia didn't help us' alongside complaints about Japan and South Korea.
Why it matters: Albanese is a close U.S. ally publicly rebuking the sitting American president over wartime language while a fragile two-week ceasefire is in effect, signaling real friction in the Australia-U.S. relationship at a moment Trump is naming Australia among nations he says failed to support the war effort.
