According to an internal State Department cable reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the proposed initiative — dubbed the "Maritime Freedom Construct" (MFC) — would see partner nations share intelligence, coordinate diplomatic pressure, and enforce sanctions against Iranian interference with maritime traffic. The cable was sent to U.S. embassies on Tuesday, instructing American diplomats to solicit foreign government participation.
The move comes weeks after President Donald Trump declared the strait "COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS," a claim quickly undermined by continued disruption to vessel traffic. Iran has been laying mines and targeting tankers that attempt to transit the chokepoint without paying Tehran-imposed fees, while the U.S. Navy has maintained a sweeping blockade on all vessels bound for or departing Iranian ports.
The MFC would operate as a joint initiative between the State Department, which would serve as the diplomatic coordination hub, and U.S. Central Command, which would provide real-time maritime domain awareness and facilitate information-sharing among partner militaries, the Journal reported.
Freedom of navigation through the strait has emerged as a central sticking point in stalled peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, with global energy prices rising sharply as the standoff drags on. Trump told aides on Monday that he was prepared for an extended blockade until Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear ambitions, and on Wednesday told reporters the blockade was "genius" and "100% foolproof."
The new coalition proposal sits in some tension with Trump's earlier public statements, in which he urged European allies to independently take control of the strait, famously writing on Truth Social in late March: "Build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT." He subsequently accused NATO of being a "paper tiger" that had failed to support the United States.
European officials have pushed back, arguing they received no advance warning of the U.S. decision to go to war with Iran. The United Kingdom and France have since co-chaired a meeting of over 50 countries to develop a post-conflict navigation strategy, though American officials have criticized the European process as too slow given the pace of the crisis.
The State Department cable acknowledged the parallel European effort, stating that the MFC "would be complementary to other security maritime task forces, including the maritime planning effort the U.K. and France are leading," according to the Journal.