Amid US absence, 36 countries meet to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Some 36 countries are meeting on Thursday in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, which has been disrupted by the US-Israeli war against Iran, in the absence of the United States from these efforts.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “the virtual meeting, chaired by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, will assess all possible diplomatic and political actions that can be taken to restore freedom of navigation, ensure the safety of stranded ships and seamen, and resume the movement of vital goods.”
Iranian attacks on commercial vessels, and threats of more, have brought shipping in the waterway linking the Gulf to the rest of the world’s oceans to a near standstill, shutting down a key route for global oil flows and driving crude prices sharply higher.
US President Donald Trump had said that “securing the Strait of Hormuz is not America’s job,” and called on US allies to “go get their own oil.”
No country appears willing to attempt to open the strait by force while the fighting continues and Iran has the ability to target ships using anti-ship missiles, drones, attack boats and sea mines.
Starmer had said on Wednesday that “military planners from an unspecified number of countries will meet soon to discuss how to ensure the security of navigation after the fighting stops.”
Shafaq.com