The United States received a cool reception from European allies for its renewed push to form joint patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, after plans for a high-level London meeting were disclosed last week. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged the United Kingdom and France to join a naval coalition, but diplomatic efforts have stalled.
A US pause in strikes on Iran since Friday ended when Iran launched a surprise attack on American forces on Tuesday night, which US Central Command said was intercepted. President Donald Trump had told Fox News earlier that day that talks with Iran were progressing, though analysts warn the conflict could drag on for months over control of the waterway.
Separately, Oman-mediated talks in Tehran ended with little concrete progress, despite Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei describing them as fruitful. Iran has pushed to establish a strait authority to levy tolls, while shipping traffic remains overwhelmingly on Iran's preferred route over a US-backed Omani alternative.