The Trump administration is urging allied nations to join forces in a new international coalition aimed at reopening and securing the Strait of Hormuz, according to officials.
The initiative, known as the Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), is a combined diplomatic and military effort to collaborate with allied nations and shipping companies. Its goal is to ensure the vital waterway is open and safe for tanker ships, preventing interference from Iran.
An internal State Department cable, sent to U.S. embassies on Tuesday, outlines the MFC proposal and encourages diplomats to advocate for international participation, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
“The MFC will implement measures to guarantee safe passage, including offering real-time information, safety guidelines, and coordination to secure vessel transit in these waters,” a State Department official informed The Post.
This initiative comes at a time when the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for transporting 20% of the world’s oil, is effectively closed due to ongoing conflict with Iran, which is attempting to impose a toll system.
Iran has been attacking or threatening any ships that try to navigate the strait without its authorization.
At the other end of the strait, the US Navy is enforcing a blockade that intercepts Iranian-linked ships.
Despite Trump’s previous insistence that the US does not need help reopening or managing the strait, the State Department memo suggests the administration is looking for foreign countries to manage the future of the waterway.
“Your participation will strengthen our collective ability to restore freedom of navigation and protect the global economy,” the cable read.
“Collective action is essential to demonstrate unified resolve and impose meaningful costs on Iranian obstruction of transit through the Strait.”
While the MFC is not meant to be a military coalition, the memo asks if foreign partners would like to serve as a “diplomatic and/or military partner.”
The State Department is setting up a team that “will serve as the diplomatic operations hub, uniting partners and the commercial shipping industry,” the official told the Post.
“It will provide a platform to coordinate diplomatic actions and socialize and align economic measures designed to impose costs on Iran for disrupting maritime security,” they added.
America’s direct involvement as the operations hub of the MFC appears to be a new move for Trump, who previously said the problems at the Strait of Hormuz were Europe’s to solve.
It remains unclear who the US has reached out to about joining the MFC, but the State Department memo claimed it would run complementary to the maritime task forces being set up by the UK and France.
London and Paris have led multiple European meetings to discuss the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but only once the war with Iran ends and clears the danger of ships trying to pass the waterway.
The pitch for the MFC comes as Trump touted the US blockade on Iranian ports, telling reporters on Wednesday that “the blockade is genius, OK, the blockade has been 100% foolproof.”
