The U.S. government has moved to form a new multinational coalition to reopen shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, which have been blocked in the aftermath of armed clashes with Iran. With a key oil route paralyzed and global energy jitters rising, Washington appears to be pressing the international community to join and trying to forge a breakthrough.
According to a roundup of major media reports on the 29th local time, the U.S. State Department on the 28th sent a diplomatic cable to U.S. embassies around the world urging participation in the "Maritime Freedom Coalition (MFC)." The State Department is set to lead the coalition jointly with U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. administration will exchange information among participating countries, align diplomatic coordination, and enforce sanctions against Iran to help merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The State Department will serve as the diplomatic operations hub, while Central Command is expected to assist with real-time maritime awareness.
In the cable, the State Department told countries that "participation will restore freedom of navigation and strengthen our collective ability to protect the global economy," adding that "collective action is essential to demonstrate unified resolve and impose meaningful costs on Iran for obstructing transit through the strait."
Control of the strait is a key sticking point in the stalemated U.S.-Iran peace talks. The U.S.-led approach to building a coalition differs somewhat from President Donald Trump's prior position that allies should resolve the strait issue on their own. On the 31st of last month, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "You will now have to learn how to fight for yourselves, and just as you did not help us, the United States will no longer help you."
In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is currently targeting ships that have not paid transit fees, while the U.S. Navy is imposing a full blockade on all vessels going to and from Iranian ports. Experts interpreted the proposal as the U.S. administration's intent to draw other countries into managing the strait. Still, it is uncertain whether the new coalition plan will win support from European countries. On the 17th, the United Kingdom and France already held a meeting in Paris with more than 50 countries to seek their own measures to support passage through the strait. European countries have set a policy of deploying forces for defensive purposes only after the end of hostilities.
The U.S. State Department also explained in the cable that the new coalition is meant to complement existing security task forces, including the maritime plan led by the United Kingdom and France. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing a senior administration official, reported, "This initiative is one of several foreign policy tools available to the president."