Pompeo Urges Japan's New Foreign Minister To Help Secure Strait Of Hormuz - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged his newly appointed Japanese counterpart to contribute to an international mission to defend the Strait of Hormuz, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout of a phone call between the two diplomats on Monday.

"Pompeo spoke with the new Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi today ... about the need for all nations to ensure safe transit for all through the Strait of Hormuz and the importance of the need for all nations to contribute to that vital global mission," Ortagus said.

The United States is trying to assemble an international coalition to protect Hormuz and other waters in the Persian Gulf region from what it perceives as a threat from Iran.

So far, only the United Kingdom, Australia and Bahrain have said they will join the effort, which the Pentagon has dubbed Operation Sentinel.

Pompeo also emphasized the need for Japan to engage in constructive dialogue with South Korea and cooperate with international partners and allies to ensure a free Indo-Pacific region.

Simmering tensions over Japan's colonization of the Korean peninsula (1910-1945) a have recently exploded into a trade war, which prompted Seoul to sever an intelligence sharing agreement with Tokyo.

Motegi was named foreign minister in a Japanese Cabinet reshuffle last week.