Australia is weighing the U.S. request to confront Iran on the issue of maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked Australia to join the United States in ensuring safety of shipping trade in one of one of the most important sea routes that provide oil supplies, AFP reported.

Pompeo and newly elected US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and the country’s Defense Minister Linda Reynolds in Sydney on Sunday.

U.S. Secretary of State said he hopes that Australia would become a partner in one of the most pressing challenges in international politics, such as efforts to stabilize Syria, free Afghanistan from terror and resist the unprovoked attacks of Iran on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Reynolds, in turn, added that the decision made by Australia would be based on sovereign national interests.