UANI Urges Global Coalition to Secure Strait of Hormuz to Guarantee Permanent Freedom of Navigation and Commerce

Allied Nations Should Support President Trump and the United States in Securing Maritime Commerce and Deterring Iranian Regime Threats

(New York, NY)—Responding to the Iranian regime’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace issued the following joint statement:

“The United States has long guaranteed the free flow of ocean-going commerce. That principle applies with unmistakable clarity to the Strait of Hormuz.

“For too long, the global economy has been forced to live under the threat that the terror regime of the Islamic Republic in Iran could close this narrow, vital passage, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil transits, as well as large quantities of other critical raw and semi-refined materials, many of which feed East Asian industries that produce finished goods for global markets.

“That closure threat has now fully materialized, causing instability to billions of people, while the global trade costs and complexity are inflated by a decades-long ‘Iran Terror Premium.’ All this underscores that Tehran cannot be trusted as a steward of the Strait of Hormuz.”

As far back as 1983, the regime in Iran threatened to turn the Strait of Hormuz into a “quagmire” for the West. Tehran has repeated the threat multiple times, in every decade, including in 1984, 1985, 1997, 2006, 2011, 2018, and 2019. Short of actual closure, the Islamic Republic has: 

• Attacked tankers with missiles and small boats, especially during the Iran-Iraq ‘Tanker War’;
• Mined shipping lanes; mined the U.S. frigate Samuel B. Roberts in 1988;
• Seized British Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines in 2004 for political leverage;
• Seized multiple commercial oil tankers including Stena Impero in 2019, Advantage Sweet in 2023, MSC Aries and St. Nikolas in 2024; and
• Repeatedly harassed U.S. naval ships with IRGC Navy patrol boats—at least 80 such incidents are reported by U.S. military authorities since 2015, including 36 incidents in 2016 alone.

Wallace and Bush continued:

“The time has come to end this vulnerability once and for all. The United States, in coalition with our European, Gulf Cooperation Council, South and East Asian allies and partners, should move decisively to secure the maritime approaches surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee permanent freedom of navigation.

“This coalition should internationalize the security of the Strait of Hormuz through coordinated naval and air patrols. It should establish a no-go zone that prevents the regime and any of its terror proxies and partners from threatening the global flow of energy.

“We must assert control over the Strait of Hormuz through this international coalition. Then we must ensure safe convoying – commercial ships traveling under the protection of armed naval escorts – to protect and safely manage commerce through the Strait. In the long-term this coalition must be the Strait’s custodian, until such time that Iran returns to the fold of the international community of responsible nations.

“To be clear: this effort should not fall on the United States alone. Our allies – many of whom depend heavily on the uninterrupted flow of Gulf energy – should contribute resources as well as their long-term commitments to help secure this critical corridor.

“In this regard, we applaud the GCC-UK joint statement of March 15 affirming ‘the importance of safeguarding regional air space, maritime routes, and freedom of navigation…[including] through the Strait of Hormuz…’

“We commend President Trump for seeking international support regarding the security of the Strait of Hormuz. As the United States secures the area around the Strait, the international coalition must be prepared to assist in sustained naval convoying of ships transiting the waterway and the longer-term internationalization of security.

“Freedom of navigation is a global necessity and the regime in Iran has shown itself an eminently unsuitable steward of the waters abutting the Strait of Hormuz. It is long overdue for the United States and its allies to act with resolve to guarantee it.”