Britain will explore ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by hosting talks on Thursday (2 April) with 35 countries after President Donald Trump said securing the vital waterway was a problem for other nations to resolve.
British foreign minister Yvette Cooper will chair the virtual meeting with nations including France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United Arab Emirates around midday in London to explore ways to restore freedom of navigation in the area. The United States is not due to attend.
The meeting is taking place after Trump said in an address to his nation on Wednesday evening that the Strait could open "naturally" and it was the responsibility of countries that rely on the waterway to ensure it was open.
Trump also said that other countries that use the Strait of Hormuz should "build up some delayed courage" and "just grab it".
"Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves," he said.
European countries initially refused Trump's demand to send their navies to the area because of fears about being dragged into the conflict.
But concerns about the impact of the rising cost of energy on the global economy have prompted them to try to form a coalition to explore ways to reopen the waterway once a ceasefire is agreed, according to European officials.
One European official said it was expected that any first phase of any plan for reopening the Strait would be on ensuring the waterway was free of mines, followed by a second phase to protect tankers crossing the area.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday the meeting would assess "all viable diplomatic and political measures" to restore the freedom of navigation in the area after a ceasefire has been reached.
Starmer said reopening the waterway would "not be easy" and would require "a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity" alongside working with the shipping industry.
The talks will be the first formal meeting of the group before more detailed discussions involving military planners over the coming weeks, the officials said.
Iran has effectively shut down the Strait, which carries about a fifth of the world's total oil consumption, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes which began in late February. Reopening the waterway has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President...
Fuel leaked at Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, while the NORSI oil refinery caught fire following drone attacks, Russian authorities sa...
Israeli airstrikes on the town of Kfar Hatta in Lebanon have reportedly killed six people and injured two, acco...
The United States rescued an airman caught behind lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, the U.S. govern...
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United...
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
India has purchased crude oil from Iran for the first time in seven years, as supply disruptions in the Middle East threaten global energy markets.
British police have arrested a fourth person in connection with an arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity. The arrest took place at a London court on Saturday, where three other suspects were already appearing.
Senegal has taken steps to curb government spending by banning non-essential foreign travel for ministers, as rising global oil prices place increasing pressure on the country’s finances.
One U.S. crew member has been rescued after two American warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, as the search continues for a missing pilot, while President Donald Trump has given Tehran 48 hours to agree to a deal to end the war.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect commercial shipping, diplomats said on Friday, amid opposition from China to any authorisation of force.
One crew member from a U.S. warplane shot down over Iran has been rescued, U.S. officials said, as a search continues for a second crew member.
The U.S. rescued an airman missing from one of two warplanes downed in Iran, two U.S. officials said, as President Donald Trump and Israel stepped up pressure on Iran to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on energy facilities.
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre have urged King Charles III to meet survivors of sexual abuse during his upcoming state visit to the United States.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote next week on a Bahraini resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and protect commercial shipping, diplomats said on Friday, amid opposition from China to any authorisation of force.
One U.S. crew member has been rescued after two American warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, as the search continues for a missing pilot, while President Donald Trump has given Tehran 48 hours to agree to a deal to end the war.
Iran has strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb the country “back to the Stone Age”, calling his remarks an example of “war crimes and genocide.”
International law experts from across the U.S., including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, have signed an open letter saying the strikes on Iran may amount to war crimes. America and Israel began airstrikes on 28 February on Iran's capital, Tehran.
The global commodities market is facing a severe structural supply shock after a series of coordinated military strikes in the Middle East devastated critical industrial infrastructure, threatening the manufacturing base of Western economies.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment