United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer will convene with 35 countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after it was effectively closed due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
In a Wednesday news conference, Starmer said UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper would host a virtual meeting of 35 countries to assess measures to open the strait “after the fighting has stopped”.
This comes after the United States Donald Trump said it was up to other countries to open the Strait after they refused to help him in the war.
In his address, Starmer made it clear that the UK will not be involved in the war.
“First - let me say once again: this is not our war,” Starmer said.
“We will not be drawn into the conflict.”
This would be the first time the countries have met to discuss a viable plan to open the strait.
The prime minister said British military planners would meet afterwards “to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped”.
Countries involved in the talks include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria.
Many of these countries were part of the joint statement made on the Strait of Hormuz situation in March.
The U.S. will not take part in these conversations.
Around 1,000 ships are stranded by Iran’s partial blockade of the strait in response to strikes by the U.S. and Israel.
Before the war, around a fifth of the world’s oil and a third of the global fertilisers were necessary for half of the world’s food production.
Only around 130 ships have made it through the strait since the start of the war, and fuel prices have skyrocketed to over US$100 per barrel.
In response to the oil supply issue, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said it would release 400 million barrels of oil in March.
