Trump administration pitches others to join new coalition to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The Trump administration is seeking the participation of other countries to form an international coalition to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to an internal cable sent this week by the State Department to posts around the world.

Dubbed the "Maritime Freedom Construct," the coalition would help with coordinating diplomatic efforts, including aligning on sanctions and information sharing to help with safe transit through the waterway, according to a U.S. official.

The cable called on diplomats to announce the formation of the new coalition and "ask for partner participation" by Friday.

The Maritime Freedom Construct would take steps to ensure safe passage, including providing real-time information, safety guidance, and coordination to ensure vessels can transit the waters securely, the cable said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the cable.

"The MFC's efforts will enhance maritime domain awareness and support the safe passage of commercial operators and their crews," a State Department official said.

The United Kingdom and France have already launched a multilateral effort involving 30+ nations toward securing the strait that could eventually involve deploying military assets if a peace deal is reached, according to those countries' governments.

However, last week during a Pentagon press briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mocked the European efforts, saying Europe might want to start having "less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat."

He dismissed the U.K. and French effort aimed at ensuring the future security of the critical Gulf waterway as "silly."

"Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free-riding is over," he said.

Shahram Irani, Iran's Navy commander, called the U.S. blockade "piracy" and the U.S. as "maritime terrorists."

"The Strait of Hormuz is closed from the Arabian Gulf, meaning they have no right of passage from there, and there is no entry. As soon as they come, operational and tactical action is taken against them," he said.

He went on to call the blockade piracy and american actions as "maritime terrorists"

On Thursday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the consequences of continued disruptions to the global energy supply caused by the Iran war and the closure of the strait "grow worse with each passing hour."

Guterres the worst-case scenario could be "the specter of a global recession" if disruptions to the strait continue through 2026. Even in the best case, if restrictions were relieved today, "supply chains will take months to recover" and warned that developing countries will be hit the hardest by economic instability.

According to the cable, the coalition will be led by the departments of State and Defense through U.S. Central Command.

The State-led component, based in Washington, D.C., will serve as the diplomatic operations hub, uniting partners and the commercial shipping industry. The Pentagon component operating out of CENTCOM headquarters in Florida would coordinate real-time maritime traffic and communicate directly ​with vessels transiting the Strait, the cable said.

"It will provide a platform to coordinate diplomatic actions and socialize and align economic measures designed to impose costs on Iran for disrupting maritime security," the State official said.

ABC News' Desiree Adib contributed to this report.