US, UK and France lead discussion on creating a Gulf naval coalition

Britain, the US, France and a host of European and Asian nations are meeting today in Bahrain to discuss plans to build an international naval coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf.

The US has been trying to create international consensus on the need for military patrols for the past six weeks in the wake of six tanker attacks around the Strait of Hormuz while the UK has become a proponent of a European force since July 19 when the UK-flagged Stena Impero was seized by Iranian special forces.