This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 11, 2019, General Mark Milley, nominated to become the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before a Senate hearing, stating that the US has a crucial role in enforcing freedom of navigation in the Gulf.
He revealed that the US is working to assemble a coalition to provide military escort, or naval escort, to commercial shipping in the region.
"I think that that will be developing over the next couple of weeks," Milley said.
These remarks came after the Pentagon confirmed earlier statements by General Joseph Dunford, the current Joint Chiefs Chairman, who mentioned that the Pentagon is working to identify possible partners to protect navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.
The escalation in tensions in the Gulf was further highlighted by a recent incident where armed Iranian boats attempted to block a supertanker, the British Heritage, before being warned off by a British warship.
The British defense ministry stated that three Iranian boats tried to impede the passage of the tanker, which is owned by BP and can carry a million barrels of oil.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied involvement in the incident but cautioned both the United States and Britain that they would "strongly regret" the British detention of a tanker carrying Iranian crude oil off Gibraltar last week.
