THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE – The United States is actively pushing for the formation of an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a sea lane that has been blocked for two months due to the US-Iran conflict. This step was revealed in a US Department of State cable document obtained by Reuters and published on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
Reporting from Reuters, the coalition proposed by the US is named “Maritime Freedom Construct” and will include information sharing, diplomatic coordination and joint enforcement of sanctions. The US invited a number of countries to join in order to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz again. France, Britain and other countries have reportedly held talks about contributing, but have said they would only be willing to help open the strait after hostilities cease.
The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is a vital route for around 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies. Since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, Iran has effectively blocked almost all ship traffic in the route except its own ships.
Also Read: Strait of Hormuz Heats Up, Oil Prices Soar Sharply, Reaching 106 US per Barrel
The impact of the closure of this strait was immediately felt on the global energy market. Reporting from Reuters, oil prices Brent had penetrated 125 US dollars per barrel on Thursday, April 29 2026, the highest level since March 2022. Since the beginning of the year, prices Brent it has more than doubled. These spikes in energy prices are fueling inflation and driving gasoline prices at the pump to politically painful levels in many countries.
The price jump was also triggered by a report from Axios which said Trump was scheduled to receive a briefing on Thursday about plans for a series of new military attacks against Iran to push Tehran back to the negotiating table.
On the negotiating side, the situation is still deadlocked. Reported by Reuters, Iran’s latest proposal proposes that discussions on its nuclear program be postponed until the conflict officially ends and the shipping issue is resolved. The US refused because it insisted that the nuclear issue must be discussed from the start. A Pakistani source acting as mediator said Iran had asked for time until the weekend to respond to US input on the proposal.
Also Read: US Reviews Iran Proposal, Trump Refuses to Postpone Nuclear Issue
Iran Pressured by Sanctions and War, Trump Faces Domestic Pressure
Trump himself on Wednesday posted on social media a call for Iran to immediately sign a non-nuclear deal in a threatening tone. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said that the US was trying to divide the Iranian people and force Iran to surrender through a blockade.
This war is also recorded to have cost the US military 25 billion US dollars based on the first official estimate from senior Pentagon officials quoted by Reuters. Trump held a meeting with oil executives on Tuesday to discuss steps to mitigate the conflict’s impact on global energy markets and American consumers.
Reporting from Reuters, Iran’s economy itself is increasingly under pressure. The value of Iran’s currency fell to an all-time low on Wednesday according to news agencies Iranian Students’ News Agency. Iran’s inflation was recorded at 65.8 percent for the month ending April 20, 2026 based on Iranian central bank data.
On the humanitarian side, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said Iran had executed at least 21 people since the war began two months ago and arrested more than 4,000 people on charges related to national security.
This war also had an impact on the power structure in Iran. Several senior Iranian political and military leaders were killed in the attack, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His wounded son, Mojtaba, later took over the position, which Iranian officials and analysts said strengthened the position of the hardline commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At home, Trump faces domestic pressure to end the war. His public approval rating fell to the lowest level since the start of the current term according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.***
