The United States and the United Kingdom are planning a high-level meeting in London next week to discuss the formation of an international coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to European diplomats and sources familiar with the matter. The gathering, likely to bring together defence ministers and military chiefs from Western and Middle Eastern states, will focus on deploying multinational assets – including minesweepers, warships and drones – to secure the vital energy corridor. The talks remain subject to a key condition expressed by several potential participants: an end to the active hostilities between American and Iranian forces that have rendered the waterway a combat zone.

Viewed from Washington, the push for a maritime force is both a military requirement and a political exit ramp. US officials have indicated that reopening the strait to unhindered commercial transit is a central element of any strategy to conclude the conflict with Iran. The Pentagon assesses that weeks of strikes have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities around the strait, though other defence sources caution that Tehran retains the means to threaten vessels. President Donald Trump has warned of striking infrastructure, including bridges and power plants in Tehran, if further attacks on shipping occur. The US has held months-long consultations with Britain and France on assembling a coalition, but Berlin, Madrid and Rome have already ruled out military participation, narrowing the field of willing contributors.

Tehran frames the crisis as a direct consequence of American bad faith and military aggression. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Kyrgyzstan, told his Chinese counterpart that insecurity in the strait resulted exclusively from Washington’s breach of the Islamabad ceasefire memorandum and disruption of Iran’s compliance with its terms. Beijing voiced “deep concern” over the escalation, expressed support for Iran’s sovereignty and security, and urged full implementation of the memorandum. Moscow, in separate talks with Araghchi, condemned US and Israeli strikes and backed a regional security mechanism built on coordination among littoral states. Oman – which shares control of the strait with Iran – has maintained direct diplomacy with Tehran, with its foreign minister discussing de‑escalation and navigational safety by phone, and an Omani delegation arriving in the Iranian capital to resume talks on a reopening mechanism.

The state of the dossier remains fluid and fractious. The Islamabad memorandum, brokered by Oman and Pakistan, collapsed after President Trump declared it void on 8 July, triggering reciprocal strikes that have trapped an estimated 600 vessels and 11,000 crew in the Persian Gulf. While Washington and London accelerate coalition planning, the initiative’s viability hinges on achieving a durable cessation of violence. Simultaneously, Iran is reinforcing its diplomatic alignment within the SCO and BRICS frameworks, arguing for a regional solution that excludes external military forces. The London meeting is expected next week, but its precise date and agenda have yet to be finalised, and participants are likely to demand a ceasefire as the prerequisite for any operational deployment.