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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.
A boat of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard sails next to Stena Impero, a British-flagged vessel owned by Stena Bulk, at Bandar Abbas port, July 21, 2019. Picture taken July 21, 2019. Iran, Mizan News Agency/WANA Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC179FE53860

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.

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