Trump Floats New Coalition to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

President Trump is pitching a new idea to keep commercial shipping traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz—a new coalition of allies created just for that purpose. The Wall Street Journal reports that the US outlined the plan, called the "Maritime Freedom Construct," in a cable sent to US embassies around the world. The idea is that American diplomats will press allies to sign on as "diplomatic and/or military" partners, as the cable puts it. Reuters describes this as a joint initiative between the State Department—Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on board—and the Pentagon.

"The MFC constitutes a critical first step in the establishment of a post-conflict maritime security architecture for the Middle East," reads the cable. "This framework is essential to ensuring long-term energy security, protecting critical maritime infrastructure, and maintaining navigational rights and freedoms in vital sea lanes." The coalition would share intelligence, coordinate diplomatic pressure, and help enforce sanctions, with the State Department serving as the diplomatic hub and US Central Command handling real-time maritime monitoring. It was too early to tell if European allies would join, given the friction between some leaders and Trump over the war. Trump previously told European nations to resolve the Hormuz issue themselves and "go get your own oil."