WSJ: Trump Plans to Announce Hormuz Strait Escort Alliance as Soon as This Week

BlockBeats News, March 16th, according to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials said the Trump administration plans to announce as early as this week that multiple countries have agreed to form an alliance to provide escort for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. However, parties are still discussing whether these actions should be taken before or after the end of Iran's hostile activities. The White House declined to comment on this. Given the related risks, many countries have adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards participating in escort missions until the U.S.-Iran conflict is resolved.

According to PolyBeats monitoring, the probability on the prediction market Polymarket for "Will the U.S. escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz before March 31st?" is currently 39%.

The U.S. Navy's escort of the Strait of Hormuz faces multiple constraints, repeatedly making statements but hesitating to take action, reflecting its lack of capability on this issue. The strait is less than 40 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, with the near-shore water depth generally less than 25 meters. The narrow waterway would weaken the U.S. military's technological advantage. At the same time, Iran still has various near-shore harassment and attack capabilities, including drones and missiles. A cheap drone costs only $35,000, but it would cost the U.S. military between $5 to $40 million to intercept one. Iran has the upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. does not have good options.