Donald Trump wants to send a 55-ship international flotilla to the Persian Gulf to keep an eye on Iran
- The US presented its new surveillance plan to allies and partner countries in a meeting aboard a British naval ship in Bahrain on Monday, a source revealed
On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates also announced it would be joining the US-led force “in order to secure the flow of energy supplies to the global economy and contribute to maintaining international peace and security”.
According to the source, the US presented the surveillance plan to allies and partner countries in a meeting on Monday in Bahrain.
Representatives from 28 countries attended the meeting aboard a British naval ship, with Japan believed to have taken part.
Japan has refrained from making a decision on the US initiative, partly because it does not want to damage its traditionally friendly relations with Iran.
Sending its Self-Defence Forces overseas is a sensitive issue, as entanglement in a foreign conflict could violate the country’s war-renouncing constitution.
In Monday’s meeting, Finland, Kuwait and Latvia said they were considering sending personnel to the US coalition headquarters in Bahrain, according to the source.
The US launched Operation Sentinel after two oil tankers, including one operated by a Japanese company, were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz in June.
Washington has put the blame on Tehran, which has denied responsibility.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse