Axios Reporter: The US and UK to hold a meeting to form a coalition to protect the Strait of Hormuz
Barak Ravid, an Axios reporter, reported citing two European diplomats and two informed sources that the US and UK are planning to hold a high-level meeting in London aimed at discussing the formation of an international coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Axios, the timing and final agenda of this meeting have not been finalized yet, but it is likely that defense ministers, senior military commanders from Western countries, and several countries in the region will attend. The potential presence of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Keane, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also been mentioned.
A White House official has confirmed the joint planning of Washington and London for this meeting, but the British Embassy in Washington has declined to comment on it.
Axios writes that reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping is a significant part of the US strategy to end the war with Iran and stabilize global energy markets. According to sources from this media outlet, Washington has asked its allies to participate in securing the shipping routes in the region by deploying equipment such as minesweepers, warships, and drones.