As military tensions rise around the Strait of Hormuz, leaders of 26 countries worldwide called for normalizing the strait and signaled a show of force in the form of a multinational military operation. After U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing and found common ground on resolving the maritime blockade, the international community also appears to be ramping up pressure over opening the strait.
According to a compilation of a British government announcement on the 15th and major foreign media reports including CNN, leaders of 26 countries, including Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, issued a joint statement on the 14th (local time) saying, "We will jointly employ diplomatic, economic, and military capabilities to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
In the joint statement, these countries emphasized that freedom of merchant shipping is a core right guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international law. They also agreed that they "support a purely defensive multinational military mission to protect civilian vessels, including mine clearance." According to a U.K. government notice, this deployment will be separate from other offensive-leaning campaigns and will be carried out in a way that supports diplomatic de-escalation efforts. It is scheduled to begin when the operational environment allows, in accordance with each country's constitution and parliamentary procedures.
The United States and China are also throwing their weight behind opening the strait. After sitting down with Xi at the Beijing summit the day before, President Trump said shortly after the meeting, "President Xi wants the Strait of Hormuz to reopen," adding, "He also expressed willingness to help reach an agreement with Iran." With the stability of trade routes coming to the fore through the two leaders' understanding, the coalition defense effort is expected to gather momentum.
Experts also argued that the maritime blockade is unlawful and stressed the need for international coordination. Pardis Tehrani, an assistant professor at the University of Sunderland in the U.K., said, "The Strait of Hormuz poses fundamental questions in terms of the balance between national sovereignty and freedom of navigation," adding, "Under the principles of international law, passage must not be impeded." James Kraska, a U.S. law-of-the-sea expert, also noted, "Iran has an obligation under international law to keep the strait open for neutral states."