Key Points
- Initiative aims to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after US blockade threat
- Over 40 countries reportedly aligned with UK-led effort to safeguard global shipping routes
- Plan described as strictly defensive and separate from warring parties
ISLAMABAD: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz as “deeply damaging,” warning that instability in key shipping lanes is adding pressure to global cost-of-living conditions.
In a post on X, he said the United Kingdom has brought together more than 40 countries committed to restoring freedom of navigation through one of the world’s most strategic maritime corridors.
He announced that the United Kingdom and France will co-host a summit this week on planning for a coordinated, independent multinational framework to safeguard international shipping once conditions allow.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also called for a comprehensive diplomatic settlement to the wider Middle East conflict.
He emphasised the need to address regional security concerns, including Iran’s nuclear and ballistic activities, destabilising actions in the region, and maritime security in key waterways.
Macron said the planned conference, organised jointly with the United Kingdom, will bring together countries willing to contribute to a peaceful multinational mission intended to restore free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal is described as strictly defensive and separate from the warring parties.
The initiative is framed as a post-conflict stabilisation effort, with deployment dependent on circumstances on the ground and coordinated international agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global energy chokepoint, and disruptions there continue to carry wider implications for oil flows, shipping costs, and global economic stability.
Earlier, in response to Pakistan’s request for a 15-day ceasefire, Iran allowed conditional movement of ships through the strait.
However, tensions rise again with the US threats of a blockade of Hormuz. Iran has also issued a warning to ships to avoid the Strait, unless in coordination with Iranian forces, to stay safe from the mines.
Fresh tensions heightened when the US left the Pakistan-hosted Islamabad Talks inconclusive, saying that the ball was in Iran’s court.
Iran, at the same time, has said it was inches from an “Islamabad MoU” when it encountered “maximalism, shifting of goals, and talk of blockade.”
