Britain will, on Thursday, April 2, hold a virtual meeting with leaders from about 35 countries to discuss reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East, AFP reported, citing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
According to Starmer, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions.
The meeting will “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and resume the movement of vital commodities,” he said.
“Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped,” he added.
The discussions will include countries that recently signed a statement expressing readiness “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Starmer said.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands are among the signatories.
Iran has effectively closed the vital strait following the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the war on February 28, causing global oil and gas prices to surge.
Around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait during peacetime.
“I do have to level with people on this. This (reopening) will not be easy,” Starmer said.
The UK leader also expressed support for NATO following renewed criticism of the eight-decade-old alliance by US President Donald Trump.
“NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades. We are fully committed to NATO,” Starmer said.
Trump told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper in an article published Wednesday that NATO was a “paper tiger.”
Asked whether he would reconsider US membership, he replied: “Oh yes, I would say it’s beyond reconsideration,” the paper reported.
Last month, Trump told the Financial Times that it would be “very bad for the future of NATO” if members fail to help reopen the vital waterway.
On Tuesday, he said that countries not involved in the war but struggling with fuel shortages should “go get your own oil” in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the US would not assist them.
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