Britain will convene 35 countries, excluding the US, to explore ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route blocked by Iran.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the next steps in joint British and French efforts to secure the waterway would be discussed Thursday, involving Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and international leaders.
Donald Trump has criticized the lack of support for his war from European countries, saying it will be up to other countries to secure the strait if the US stops its attacks on Tehran.
Starmer said on Wednesday the meeting would bring together 35 countries to “assess all feasible diplomatic and political measures that can be taken to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of stranded ships and seafarers, and resume the movement of vital goods.”
Number 10 said it would be the first time countries have gathered to discuss a viable plan to reopen the strait. The Prime Minister said British military planners would meet later “to look at how we can enhance our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe once the fighting stops”.
But Starmer, who called energy and shipping bosses at No 10 on Monday, said clarity would last long after hostilities end. “I’m going to have to coordinate with people on this, it’s not going to be easy,” he said.
“They were clear with me, the primary challenge they face is not one of insurance, but security and protection of the route. So, the fact is that we need all this together – a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity, partnership with industry, so that once the fighting stops they can also organise, and above all, clear and calm leadership. That is what this country is prepared to provide.
“Because my guide from the beginning of this conflict has always been the British national interest. And freedom of navigation in the Middle East is in the British national interest.”
This meeting will be called by the countries which signed a joint statement last month. Since then many more people have joined. These include the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands as well as Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. It commits countries to their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.”
It is understood that the US has not been directly invited to participate in the talks, instead focusing on signatories to the joint statement as well as other European allies and key maritime and regional players in the region.
About 1,000 ships are stranded due to Iran’s partial blockade of the strait in response to US and Israeli attacks. Before the conflict, tankers carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply through the channel and about a third of the global fertilizers needed to produce half the world’s food. Only about 130 ships have passed since the war began, a number that would normally pass each day.
The Defense Department has sent military planners to US Central Command to consider options for getting tankers through the strait.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement on state TV that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to “enemies of this nation” and that it would remain under the control of its navy.
Trump posted on Wednesday that there would be no ceasefire with Iran until it gives up control of the waterway. “We will consider when the Strait of Hormuz will be open, free and clear. Until then, we will push Iran into oblivion or, as they say, send back to the Stone Age!!!” He has written.
