Trump presses seven countries to join 'Hormuz naval coalition'... "We are watching who joins" [U.S.–Iran conflict]

Financial News correspondent Lee Byung-chul in New York City reported that on the 15th (local time), US President Donald Trump continued to pressure allied countries to resolve the Islamic Republic of Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A day earlier, through the social media platform Truth Social, he had called on five countries—South Korea, Japan, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), and China—to dispatch warships, and he has since raised the pressure further.
Trump discussed the issue that day with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a phone call with Japan's Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent also met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng of the State Council of the People's Republic of China in Paris, ahead of the U.S.-China summit scheduled for the 31st in Beijing, and is reported to have discussed the matter there as well.
■ "Escort coalition to be announced this week"
In this context, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Trump administration plans to announce this week an agreement among several countries to form a coalition to escort ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The paper added that administration officials are still debating whether the escort operations would begin only after hostilities cease, or could start even before then.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to Washington, D.C. from the State of Florida, Trump said he had asked seven countries to send warships to help lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This is two more than the five countries he mentioned the previous day. "We reached out yesterday and today, and some countries responded positively, while others said they did not want to get involved," he said. He went on, "Some countries have mine countermeasure vessels, which would be helpful to us," stressing, "These countries need to come to the place where they get their energy and help us defend that territory." He added, "I told them, and I will remember" whether they join, emphasizing that once the coalition is assembled, operations in the Strait of Hormuz will "begin immediately."
■ EU weighs expanding Red Sea 'Operation ASPIDES'
European countries have stepped up their response, reviewing various options for taking part in ship-escort missions. UK Energy Security Secretary Edward Samuel Miliband told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is crucial, adding, "There are a range of ways we can contribute, including mine-detection drones." Earlier, The Times reported that the UK was considering deploying mine-detection drones and thousands of interceptor drones to the Strait of Hormuz.
The Financial Times (FT) reported that the European Union (EU) is considering extending "Operation ASPIDES," currently under way in the Red Sea, to the Strait of Hormuz. Operation ASPIDES is an EU naval defense mission launched in February 2024 in response to attacks on international shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen. It conducts patrols, intelligence-gathering, and defensive tasks to protect vessels and ensure freedom of navigation. The EU will discuss the expansion at a foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, on the 16th. The idea is for EU member states to collectively participate in escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement with foreign ministers of member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a bloc of six Arabian Peninsula countries, that they "have the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard their security and stability and to protect their territory, citizens, and residents."
■ China and India remain skeptical
Some countries have made clear they will not join. The Republic of India (India) insists that diplomatic negotiations must come first. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told the FT that "dialogue with Iran has already produced certain results," stressing that negotiations are the realistic way to reopen traffic through the strait. Through talks between New Delhi and Tehran, two India-flagged gas carriers have passed through the strait. "It is better to find a solution through discussion and coordination," he said, signaling that India will continue to seek diplomatic options rather than heightening military tensions. The English-language Global Times, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece People's Daily, quoted experts as saying, "The United States trying to drag more countries into the conflict distorts the essence of the problem."
pride@fnnews.com Reporter