Secretary of State Pompeo indicated that “we’re asking every nation that has energy needs, that has goods and services passing through to contribute to our effort, which is deter and create stability in the Strait of Hormuz”. “Every country will contribute something different”, Pompeo added. “Information sharing, ships at sea, communications systems, ISR, all the elements of delivering this defensive deterrent posture in the Strait of Hormuz”. In related remarks, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asserted that “the U.S. has been very clear that the purpose of our proposed operations in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman has been twofold – first of all, to promote the principle of freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce through all waterways, particularly that one, number one.  Number two is to prevent any provocative actions by Iran that might lead to some misunderstanding or miscalculation that could lead to a conflict”.