US's Hormuz coalition 'not in competition' with France, UK-led bid: French FM The UK and France have led talks on a separate maritime effort France’s top diplomat on Friday said a new US-led coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would complement and not compete with a similar mission spearheaded by France and Britain. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking in Abu Dhabi following a regional tour, said he briefed Gulf allies on the UK-France initiative which was now at an “advanced” stage. On Thursday, a US official confirmed to AFP that Washington was launching an international coalition dubbed the “Maritime Freedom Construct” to restart shipping in the vital route. The strait, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, has been effectively blockaded by Iran over the Middle East war, sending prices soaring and choking trade networks. The UK and France have led talks on a separate maritime effort, recently holding a meeting with more than 50 countries. The US mission is “not of the same nature as the one we established… it comes as a sort of complement”, Barrot said in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, following visits to Saudi Arabia and Oman. “It is not in competition with the initiative we have launched and on which we are focused,” he added. The Wall Street Journal said a reported diplomatic cable called on US embassies to press foreign governments to take part in the US-led effort. Asked whether France would join Washington’s initiative, Barrot said he could not comment at this stage. The UK-France mission “is now at an advanced stage, the planning has been finalised, and I have come to present the concept of this mission to a number of our closest partners in the region”, he added. US President Donald Trump has lashed out at allies’ reluctance to get involved in the US-Israeli war on Iran, and previously urged oil-reliant nations to take responsibility for reopening the strait. Iran has vowed not to reopen the waterway as long as the United States blockades its ports. The closure has had a widespread impact on the global economy, with oil prices hitting a four-year high this week.
US's Hormuz coalition 'not in competition' with France, UK-led bid: French FM The UK and France have led talks on a separate maritime effort France’s top diplomat on Friday said a new US-led coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would complement and not compete with a similar …
See this event through different lenses
Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.
Compare PerspectivesLoading notes...
International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.