CANBERRA, Australia — Australia will join a fledgling American-led effort to protect ships from Iranian threats in the critical Strait of Hormuz, the country’s prime minister said on Wednesday, dismissing concerns that the United States was pulling Australia once again into a faraway military intervention in the Middle East.

Oil tankers passing through the waterway came under attack in May and June, with crews forced to abandon their vessels and at least one ship set on fire. The United States has blamed Iran for the attacks, a charge that Iranian officials have rejected.

The tanker strikes came after the United States abandoned the multinational 2015 agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program and reimposed sanctions on Tehran meant to cripple its oil sales, a pillar of the Iranian economy.

So far, only two other countries have joined the United States in the ship-protection mission: Britain and Bahrain.