As Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, US President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that Australia had not supplied military aid to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"I'm not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there," he said.
"They were not there having to do with Hormuz. So I'm not happy. I'm not happy with them."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by saying the US administration had not asked for additional assistance in the region.
"There's been no new requests at all, and indeed, President Trump has himself said that he has got this, and he has made that position clear. There's been no change," Mr Albanese told reporters in Geelong on Friday.
"My job is to engage constructively with the US administration. That's what we do."
Australia had deployed an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane to the Middle East, following request from Gulf countries for defences from missile attacks.
The prime minister said the Australian position to the war remained consistent.
Mr Albanese also welcomed developments of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which came into effect from 7am on Friday AEST after mediation by the US.
"We call upon all parties to agree and to abide by this ceasefire. That's what we want to see," he said.
"We want to see a de-escalation. We want to see the Strait of Hormuz open. We want to see the freedom of navigation that is so important for global trade that we all rely upon around the world."
Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said the relationship between the US and Australia needed to be prioritised, despite the criticism from the president.
"The reality is he is the president of our most important ally and he will be for the next three years. So this is an important relationship that needs to be managed," he told ABC Radio.
Senator Paterson said Australia should participate as part of a multinational effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who is in Washington for talks with other finance ministers, said no formal request from the US had been received.
"It's not unusual for President Trump to call for more investment from partners in allies when it comes to defence," he told reporters.
Defence Minister Richard Marles reiterated the US has not made a specific request for military support in the Middle East.
"We'll work with all of our partners, our allies — and that very much includes the United States — in terms of whatever needs to be done in relation to the Strait of Hormuz," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"I'm not about to go into a running commentary on what the US president says. I mean, we're dealing with the situations as we find them.
"That said, we very much support the strategic objective of denying Iran a deployable nuclear weapon and that capability."
