LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have discussed the “next stage” of efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Downing Street said in a statement on Friday.
The two leaders spoke after Starmer arrived in Qatar, where he is continuing diplomatic engagements focused on regional stability and maritime security, according to No 10.
During the call, Starmer outlined the United Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to bring together international partners to agree on a practical and coordinated plan to ensure shipping can resume through the Strait as quickly and safely as possible.
Downing Street said both leaders agreed that, with a ceasefire now in place and agreement emerging on reopening the waterway, discussions have moved into a new phase centered on implementation and logistics.
The statement added that Starmer and Trump stressed the importance of developing a workable operational framework to restore commercial maritime traffic, reduce risks to global energy supplies, and stabilise international shipping routes that have been under pressure due to recent tensions in the region.
Both sides emphasised the urgency of translating diplomatic progress into concrete steps on the ground to ensure uninterrupted movement of vessels through the strategic chokepoint.
No place for tolls on international waterways
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the UK has been working for a “swift resolution” to the conflict and for a plan for what will come after. She says “most important of all for us” is the “reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz.
She says no country can close such a route as it “goes against the fundamental principles of the law of the sea”.
“We need the full and unconditional of the strait as a central part not just of the current ceasefire but the long-term future for the region,” she says.
“The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off for individual bidders. And nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway.
“Freedom of navigation means navigation must be free.”
Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on the country on February 28, rattling financial markets while driving up the cost of oil.
A limited number of vessels and other countries have since been permitted to cross the strait, which typically carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil.
Trump has criticised US allies for not deploying warships to protect the vital strait, while also claiming it will open up “naturally” when the war ends.
