US Reportedly Close To Announcing Hormuz Escort Coalition; Iraq Feels War Effects

The United States is close to announcing a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, with the Wall Street Journal and Axios reporting that multiple countries have agreed to form the coalition.

“The United States is close to announcing a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal and Axios reported, while Iran warned that it is not close to giving up and neighboring Iraq continued to feel the spillover effects of the war”

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The report said the matter is still under discussion and that the mission could shift depending on battlefield conditions, with potential participants debating when the mission would begin during hostilities or after a cease-fire.

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Axios later reported that President Donald Trump hopes to make the announcement in the upcoming week and that he is considering seizing Iran's Kharg Island, which US forces bombed on March 13, if traffic remains blocked in the strait.

Trump had previously posted on social media urging oil recipients through Hormuz to ensure passage and stating that the United States would help a lot.

In an interview published by the Financial Times on March 16, Trump said NATO faces a very bad future if member nations do not help the United States in Iran.

On March 15, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump about reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stop disruptions to global shipping; Starmer also spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and the leaders planned to continue discussions at a meeting scheduled for March 16.

Iran warned it is not close to giving up and could target foreign navies in the Strait, with Tehran firing back at US Arab allies in the region despite US and Israeli claims that Iran's Navy has been destroyed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, on March 15, disputed a claim by Trump that Tehran was seeking to negotiate with Washington, saying that Iran has never asked for a cease-fire or negotiations and is ready to defend itself for as long as necessary.

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Iran has remained defiant, launching missiles and drones against Israel and US Arab allies in the region.

Iraq continued to feel the effects of the war, with officials reporting multiple attacks against Iran-allied groups or US-linked sites.

“The United States is close to announcing a coalition to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal and Axios reported, while Iran warned that it is not close to giving up and neighboring Iraq continued to feel the spillover effects of the war”

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Five rockets targeted Baghdad International Airport and its surrounding area on March 15, injuring four airport employees and a security engineer; security forces said they seized the launchpad used for the attack in the al-Radwaniya area southwest of Baghdad.

Baghdad's airport complex houses a US diplomatic facility and is part of a fortified complex that includes Iranian bases and other security facilities; since the start of the war, Iraq has closed its airspace across the country.

Iran-allied militias have claimed daily drone and missile attacks against US bases, and the US Embassy in Baghdad has been targeted, with a drone strike reported on March 14; in the capital, three Iran-allied fighters were killed in strikes blamed on the United States.

Reuters cited security sources as saying three explosive drones hit an Iranian opposition camp east of Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan on March 15, killing one fighter.

Israel continued to batter sites believed to house Hezbollah members in Lebanon, with the military stating on March 15 that it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the southern suburbs of Beirut after earlier raids closer to the border.

Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that Israel still has thousands of targets to strike inside Iran and that it is identifying new targets every day.

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