Tehran works to bring neighbors onboard against US maritime coalition
Iran's president is intensely pursuing diplomacy with regional leaders to try to reverse US plans for an international maritime coalition in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a hectic day Aug. 12, talking to heads of state in his country's vicinity and trying to elucidate what he views as security threats posed by a planned US-led mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic maritime pathway letting through 20% of the world's oil traffic has been at the center of recent rising tensions between Iran and the West. The United States has ramped up efforts to rally allies behind a naval mission, which it says aims to shield international shipping from Iranian threats in the strategic strait.