U.S. And U.K. Plan London Talks On Strait Of Hormuz Shipping Coalition

According to Axios, the U.S. and U.K. are planning to convene a high-level meeting in London next week to discuss a potential international coalition to protect maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting, which is still being finalized, could bring together defense ministers and top military commanders from Western countries and regional states, and Defense Secretary Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine could potentially attend. Axios said the effort is tied to reopening the strait for commercial shipping, which is seen as part of a U.S. exit strategy from the war with Iran and broader efforts to stabilize global energy markets. Axios reported that Iran began attacking ships in the strait two weeks ago, prompting the U.S. to carry out daily strikes against Iranian military targets along Iran's southern coast. There have been no Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the last four days, though U.S. officials disagree on whether that reflects damage to Iran's capabilities or a still-existing ability to strike. President Trump also threatened on Wednesday to bomb bridges and power plants, including in Tehran, if Iran attacks more ships in the strait, while Iran threatened infrastructure in Gulf states allied with the U.S. Axios added that the escalation followed failed talks between Oman, Iran and Qatar on a new arrangement, and that an Omani delegation returned to Tehran on Friday to resume discussions on reopening the strait.