Tankers and bulk carriers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on April 18.Asghar Besharati/The Associated Press
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking the participation of other countries to form an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the creation of the Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), the cable dated April 28 said, which it described as a joint initiative by the State Department and the Pentagon.
“The MFC constitutes a critical first step in the establishment of a post-conflict maritime security architecture for the Middle East. 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 cable said.
“Canada has been clear that free and open access through the Strait of Hormuz is necessary under international law and critical to stabilizing energy markets and supply. We support efforts to achieve these ends, consistent with the rules of international engagement,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.
“As ceasefire negotiations continue, Canada is intensifying co-ordination with allies and partners about their direct security needs, and we are prepared to support where Canadian capabilities can meaningfully contribute to civilian and maritime security. The best prospect for peace is to refrain from escalatory action and to secure a negotiated end to the conflict.”
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The component of the initiative led by the State Department would serve as the diplomatic hub between partner countries and the shipping industry, while the Pentagon component operating out of CENTCOM headquarters in Florida would co-ordinate real-time maritime traffic and communicate directly with vessels transiting the Strait, the cable said.
The story was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
U.S. embassies should deliver the demarche orally to partner nations by May 1, but not to Russia, China, Belarus, Cuba and “other U.S. adversaries,” said the cable.
Participation could be in the form of diplomacy, information sharing, sanctions enforcement, naval presence or other forms of support, it said.
“We welcome all levels of engagement and do not expect your country to shift naval assets and resources away from existing regional maritime constructs and organizations,” the cable said.
“The MFC is distinct from the President’s Maximum Pressure campaign and from ongoing negotiations.”
Traffic through the strait, which used to carry one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas, has slowed to a trickle since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and Tehran blockaded the waterway.
The proposal from the U.S. follows a deadlock in efforts to resolve the conflict, which has also led the United States to try to squeeze Iran’s oil exports with a naval blockade of Iran’s ports. (Reporting by Mihika Sharma in Bengaluru and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Neil Fullick)