Washington and London Rally Allies: Western Plan to Secure the Strait of Hormuz and Contain Iran
The United States and the United Kingdom are planning to hold a high-level meeting in London next week to discuss the possible formation of an international coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to two European diplomats and two other sources familiar with the matter, who spoke to Axios, the date and agenda of the meeting are still under discussion and have yet to be finalized. The gathering could, however, bring together defense ministers and senior military commanders from Western countries and regional states.
The Significance of the Meeting
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping is a key component of any U.S. strategy aimed at bringing the war with Iran to an end. It is also a crucial step in efforts to stabilize global energy markets.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine are expected to attend the meeting.
A White House official confirmed that the United States and the United Kingdom do indeed intend to hold the conference next week, while the British Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
Background to the Developments
Since Iran began targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz two weeks ago, the United States has been carrying out daily strikes against Iranian military targets along the country’s southern coast.
No Iranian attacks on commercial vessels have been reported over the past four days.
Some U.S. defense officials believe this lull is due to American strikes having largely degraded Iran’s military capabilities in the vicinity of the strait. Other officials, however, believe that Iran still retains the ability to target vessels operating in the area.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb bridges and power plants, including in Tehran, if Iran launched further attacks against vessels in the strait. Iran responded by threatening to target infrastructure in Gulf states allied with the United States.
A Potential Naval Coalition
According to the sources, Washington is seeking to build on discussions held by Britain and France over the past several months with a number of countries regarding the creation of an international coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The sources said that several countries had made their participation conditional on the cessation of fighting in the strait first, in order to ensure sufficiently safe conditions on the ground for an international maritime mission to be launched.
The United States also wants allied countries to deploy military assets to the region, including mine-detection and mine-clearing vessels, naval warships and drones, to help secure maritime shipping lanes.
“Americans are looking for a way out, and they want us to help them,” one European diplomat said.
Stalled Negotiations
The escalation in the Strait of Hormuz began after negotiations between Oman, Iran and Qatar over new arrangements for the strait ended without an agreement.
Following the breakdown of the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Tehran for consultations, before Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began targeting vessels in the strait.
An Omani delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday to resume discussions on a mechanism for reopening the strait.
Araghchi also held a phone call with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi, during which they discussed maritime security and the passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement issued by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
The statement said that the two ministers emphasized the importance of maintaining maritime security and discussed regional solutions and avenues for cooperation aimed at preventing further escalation in the region.
