A December visit would solidify the rapidly developing relationship between the US President and Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Mr Trump and the US First Lady will host Mr Morrison and wife Jenny at a state dinner at the White House in September, making the Prime Minister only the second foreign leader to receive the honour since the billionaire property mogul and former reality TV show host took office. US First Lady Melania Trump wants to visit Australia. Credit: Bloomberg Australia is considering a fresh appeal by the United States to join an international mission to help escort shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil tankers and other freighters have been harrassed or captured by Iranian forces amid tension between Tehran and Washington. Speaking after a meeting in Sydney on Sunday between Foreign Minister Marise Payne, US Defence Minister Mark Esper and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australia's Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the government was "deeply concerned" about attacks on shipping and heightened tensions in the region. She said the US request for assistance "is a very serious one and it is a complex one".

"We are currently giving this request very serious consideration .. but we will ultimately decide as we always do what is in our own sovereign interests," she said. HMAS Melbourne has been patrolling the Middle East for the past year but returned to Australia in mid-July. There are no Navy assets in the region and any contribution would require the ADF to send a ship from Australia or divert one from other existing operations. If the government agreed to the US' request, it would make the case that Australia has a direct stake in de-escalating tensions given huge volumes of the world's oil market passes through the Strait of Hormuz and Australia is heavily reliant on fuel imports. The issue was first raised during a meeting between Mr Trump, Morrison and other world leaders at the G20 summit in Japan last month. Mr Trump, a golf fanatic who owns courses around the world, has not travelled to Australia since his November 2016 election victory but opened the door to a formal visit during the Japan gathering.

The timing of the Presidents Cup, to be held from December 9 to December 15 at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, does not appear to conflict with Mr Trump's travel schedule. Loading Asked in June whether he would attend Mr Trump said: "I’ll tell you what, I’d like to. It might not be easy, but I’d like to. That’s a big deal. That’s going to be great." Mr Morrison said at the time that he had issued a formal invitation to the President. "He is obviously a passionate follower of the sport and the tournament is actually named after the President so I think it would be great for Melbourne and for the tournament,'' Mr Morrison said.