White House seeks new coalition to secure Hormuz shipping: Report

WASHINGTON: The White House is asking other countries to join a US-led international coalition aimed at enabling ships to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, American media has reported.

The so-called "Maritime Freedom Construct" (MFC) was spelt out in an internal State Department cable sent to US embassies on Tuesday, urging US diplomats to press foreign governments into signing up, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Wednesday (local time).

The MFC would be a joint effort between the State Department and US Central Command, according to the cable. The US State Department "will serve as the diplomatic operations hub" while the command "will provide real-time maritime domain awareness" for commercial shipping and coordinate information sharing between partner militaries, said the report.

The new coalition would share information, coordinate diplomatically and enforce sanctions, said the report, citing the cable, which also instructs US officials to ask foreign counterparts whether they would like to be a "diplomatic and/or military partner."

"Your participation will strengthen our collective ability to restore freedom of navigation and protect the global economy," the cable reads. "Collective action is essential to demonstrate unified resolve and impose meaningful costs on Iranian obstruction of transit through the Strait."