UK Plans Global Talks as Starmer Focuses on Hormuz Shipping Security
LONDON — Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Britain will convene a meeting of roughly 35 countries this week to address the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has been effectively shut since the outbreak of war in the Middle East on February 28.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions, though Starmer did not specify the day. The gathering will bring together nations that recently signed a statement expressing readiness “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands are among the signatories.
“We 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,” Starmer told reporters during a Downing Street press conference.
Following the diplomatic talks, military planners will convene to examine how to make the strait accessible and safe once fighting subsides.
Iran has effectively closed the strait since US-Israeli strikes began the war, sending global oil and gas prices soaring. In peacetime, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the narrow waterway.
Starmer acknowledged the difficulty ahead. “I do have to level with people on this. This will not be easy,” he said.
The prime minister also reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to NATO after US President Donald Trump offered fresh criticism of the alliance. In an interview with The Telegraph published Wednesday, Trump called NATO a “paper tiger” and suggested he would reconsider US membership.
“NATO is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to NATO,” Starmer said.
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