AP: Almost three dozen countries will meet Thursday in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper āwill assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.ā
Iranian attacks on commercial ships, and the threat of more, have halted nearly all traffic in the waterway that connects the Arab Gulf to the rest of the globeās oceans, shutting a critical path for the worldās flow of oil and sending petroleum prices soaring.
The US is not among the countries attending Thursdayās meeting. Trump has said securing the waterway is not Americaās job, and told US allies to āgo get your own oil.ā
No country appears willing to try and open the strait by force while fighting rages and Iran can target vessels with anti-ship missiles, drones, attack craft and mines. But Starmer said Wednesday that military planners from an unspecified number of countries will meet soon to work on how to ensure security for shipping āafter the fighting has stopped.ā
In the meantime, 35 countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates have signed a statement demanding Iran stop its attempts to block the strait and pledging to ācontribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passageā through the waterway.
Thursdayās meeting is considered a first step, to be followed by āworking-level meetingsā of officials to hammer out details.
Starmer said resuming shipping āwill not be easy,ā and will require āa united front of military strength and diplomatic activityā alongside partnership with the maritime industry.
The international effort idea has echoes of the international ācoalition of the willingā that has been assembled, led by the UK and France, to underpin Ukraineās security after a future ceasefire in that war. The coalition is, in part, an attempt to demonstrate to the Trump administration that Europe is stepping up to do more for its own security.
The urgency of stronger continental defenses has been reinforced by Trumpās renewed suggestion that the US could pull out of NATO.
