#美政府计划多国联合护航霍尔木兹 Why Does the US Want to Form the "Hormuz Alliance"

The US plans to recently form the so-called "Hormuz Alliance" to control the Strait of Hormuz and is urging countries like Britain and Japan to respond. With ongoing Middle Eastern conflicts, what is the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz? How are various parties reacting? How difficult is escort operations in the strait?

Current Situation of the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi said in an interview with US media on the 14th that the Strait of Hormuz is actually open, only closed to "Iran's enemies," and "although many ships choose not to pass through for security reasons, this has nothing to do with us."

Arne Loman Rasmussen, chief analyst at global risk management company tells US media that while the Strait of Hormuz has not been physically blockaded, Iran's threats combined with drone and missile attacks have deterred many oil tankers from passing through the strait. "The strait has effectively closed. Tankers face attack risks, struggle to obtain insurance, or face exorbitant insurance costs, so they can only wait for the security situation to improve before resuming navigation."

The International Maritime Organization website, headquartered in London, UK, shows that from when the US and Israel launched military actions against Iran until March 13, 16 ship attack incidents were confirmed in and around the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in at least 7 sailors and 1 shipyard worker deaths, with at least 4 sailors missing.

Lloyd's List Intelligence indicates that from March 1-13, only 77 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz. In comparison, from March 1-11, 2025, 1229 vessels passed through this strait. According to the UK Daily Telegraph, on the 14th no vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz, the first time this occurred since the conflict began.

The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz has caused international oil prices to skyrocket, with cascading effects intensifying. Andy Haldane, former chief economist of the Bank of England, wrote: "The Strait of Hormuz has effectively closed, causing one-fifth of global oil shipments to be disrupted, with daily losses approaching 20 million barrels. This is the greatest shock the global oil market has ever experienced, leading to severe intraday oil price volatility and large-scale strategic petroleum reserve releases. This is unprecedented in history."

How Are Various Parties Reacting

US news website Axios reported on the 16th, citing multiple sources, that US officials held intensive telephone diplomacy consultations over the weekend with some countries in Europe, Asia, and the Gulf to secure their political commitment to forming the so-called "Hormuz Alliance."

US President Trump stated on the 15th that if NATO allies do not take action to help the US keep the Strait of Hormuz open, NATO will face a "very bad" future.

Although Trump said on social media that many countries "will send naval vessels with the United States," no country has made a public commitment so far.

British Prime Minister Starmer spoke with Trump on the 15th by phone regarding navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. British Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Miliband told media that the British cabinet is examining all possible options and has "consulted with allies including the United States."

German Foreign Minister Baerbock stated on the 15th that Germany has no need to participate in escort operations in the Strait of Hormuz. She expressed "high skepticism" about the possibility of expanding the EU's "shield" escort operation to the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, issued a press release on the 15th stating it has noted Trump's relevant comments on social media, and the South Korean government is closely monitoring the Middle East situation and related countries' movements, exploring various measures to protect South Korean citizens and ensure the safety of energy transport channels.

According to the Japan Economic News website on the 15th, the US hopes Japan will send ships to "escort" the Strait of Hormuz, but Japan faces obstacles under domestic legal grounds. The US attempted to form a Hormuz Strait escort coalition in 2019 and probed whether Japan was interested in cooperation. The Abe government at the time ultimately decided that the Japan Self-Defense Forces would not join the escort coalition.

According to reports from UK Financial Times and other media, France, Italy, India and other countries are in talks with Iran, hoping to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that direct dialogue with Iran is the most effective way to resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

How Difficult Are Escort Operations

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Nayini stated earlier this month that Iran "very much welcomes" US escort of oil tankers, "we are waiting for their arrival." He said the US should "remember the 1987 incident of the US supertanker Bridgeton catching fire, and recent tanker attacks" before making any decisions.

Nayini was referring to the period of the Iran-Iraq War when the "Bridgeton" oil tanker under US escort struck a mine and was damaged while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi said on social media on the 14th: "America's touted security umbrella has proven to be full of holes, not only failing to provide deterrence but inviting trouble. Now the US has to beg other countries to help ensure the safety of the Strait of Hormuz." Iran's Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei previously issued a statement vowing to continue blockading the Strait of Hormuz to counter the US.

Analysts believe that even if the US successfully forms an "escort coalition," the practical execution difficulty of such escort operations will be extremely high. Jonathan Schroden, researcher at the US think tank Center for Naval Analyses, stated that Iran may adopt various countermeasures, including mines, attack speedboats, missiles, and attack drones. "If you lay mines in the water, combined with surface and air threats, the threat extends from the sea floor to the surface, then to the air. This will make escort operations much more difficult." Chris Murphy, a Democratic US Senator representing Connecticut, recently wrote on social media: "How about providing naval escort for tankers? This is truly a viable option, but it's more difficult to implement than imagined. First, this requires deploying all our naval forces. 100 tankers need escorting daily. Second, if we cannot clear mines and drones, our warships themselves will face danger." John Kirby, retired US Navy rear admiral and former US Department of Defense spokesman, said that escort operations are high-cost, time-consuming actions and "don't necessarily guarantee success." Analysts point out that as the conflict continues, Iran still has missile and drone strike capabilities, and many US allies worry that deploying warships could further entangle them in regional conflicts, so responders to forming an international escort coalition may be limited. According to the Wall Street Journal, given the risks involved, many countries have maintained a "reserved attitude" toward executing such escort missions before the end of the fighting.