White House plans to announce coalition to escort vessels through Strait of Hormuz

Washington - The White House is planning to announce a multinational coalition to escort ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday (15 March), citing US officials.

The plan, which is still under discussion, may be announced as soon as this week, the WSJ reported.

Publicly, many governments have adopted a non-committal stance towards such an escort mission until the dispute ends, given the risks involved, the report stated.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on Thursday (12 March) for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed and vowed to open new fronts in his country’s conflict with the United States and Israel.

The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on 28 February, which disrupted global shipping, causing oil prices to surge and rattling the global economy.