Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Defense Secretary Mark Esper
claimed that he believes there is “rising support” for the US-led naval
fleet in the Strait of Hormuz
The US has been pushing that plan for over a month,
on the idea that the US would get access to a large fleet to confront
Iran, and would only have to contribute about 10-20% of the fleet
themselves. So far they’ve gotten no commitments to join the fleet.
Despite Esper’s optimism, the US still has no commitments to join the
fleet, though he suggested that some countries might sign up soon,
citing 30 nations attending a meeting last week in Florida to talk about
it.
Australia seems like a likely candidate, though why Australia would join
the US fleet and not the British alternative is unclear. Even then,
most nations have flat out rejected the scheme, and Australia’s
willingness to consider it at all is still something.
For most nations, there just isn’t a high priority on this, as the
Strait is open, and the only nations having any problem, the US and
Britain, are the ones openly picking fights with Iran. Many nations see
staying out of this as the path of least resistance.
Defense Chief Sees ‘Rising’ Support for US Fleet in Strait of Hormuz
No nations offering to participate, but some attended a meeting
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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