Now is the time for countries with an 'equity stake' in the Strait of Hormuz to assist the United States, a top military commander has said. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his comments as America moved to reopen the strategic waterway to commercial shipping, protected by what Washington described as 'a powerful red, white and blue dome'.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also repeated that he expected the rest of the world 'to step up' and said the US would hand over responsibility 'at the appropriate time and soon'. The White House has been deeply critical of the response by the UK and other allies to the Gulf crisis, insisting other nations needed the strait more than the US.
Mr Hegseth recently dismissed efforts led by Britain and France to ensure the future security of the strait as 'silly' and said they should have 'less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat'. The sea route, a major supply line for oil and gas, had been open prior to the US and Israel launching strikes against Iran. In retaliation, Tehran effectively closed the shipping lane and started charging hefty tolls for transit, sparking a global energy crisis that has seen prices rocket.
This led the US to impose its own blockade of Iranian ports, leading to a stand-off. In a bid to break Iran’s stranglehold, America this week launched an operation, known as Project Freedom, to create an 'enhanced security area' along the strait, aimed at enabling shipping to get through and releasing more than 1,500 vessels trapped by the conflict. While this has triggered fresh attacks by Tehran, the US insists it falls 'below the threshold' for resuming hostilities and the existing ceasefire still holds.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, General Caine said: 'Project Freedom is designed to protect commercial shipping and help restore the flow of commerce through the strait and sustain freedom of navigation. Centcom has established an enhanced security area on the southern side of the strait that is now protected by US land, naval and air assets to help defeat further Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.' He added: 'Now is the time for those with equity stake in the strait to come assist.'
Mr Hegseth said: 'For too long, Iran has been harassing ships, shooting at civilian tankers from all nations, and trying to impose a tolling system. Iran’s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable.' He said two US-flagged commercial ships had already transited the strait, 'showing the lane is clear'. He added: 'As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the strait. American destroyers are on station, supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones and surveillance aircraft providing 24/7 overwatch for peaceful commercial vessels, except Iran’s of course, which is why our ironclad blockade remains in full effect as well.'
Mr Hegseth went on: 'We’d prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft and this mission, without hesitation. To Iran, let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations. Not to Iran, to tax, toll or control. To our partners, allies and the rest of the world. This is a temporary mission for us. As I’ve said before, the world needs this waterway a lot more than we do. We’re stabilising the situation so commerce can flow again, but we expect the world to step up. At the appropriate time and soon we will hand responsibility back to you.'
Elsewhere, Downing Street insisted reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a critical step to bolstering Britain’s economic security, ahead of ministers convening on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Government’s response to the ongoing crisis. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: 'It’s absolutely important that we get the Strait of Hormuz open, because that is directly impacting our economy in the United Kingdom. You have heard from the Prime Minister overnight condemning the attacks on the UAE. We continue to support our partners in the region. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved. There is the Middle East Response Committee (MERC) meeting later this afternoon, which will focus on the domestic security implications of the conflict in the Middle East, in particular the threat to Jewish communities in light of recent attacks.'
