Agadir – The United Kingdom is gathering foreign ministers from 35 countries on Thursday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting, chaired by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures” to restore the waterway as the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
It includes the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported, adding that the coalition excludes the US.
“We are exploring each and every diplomatic avenue to us,” Starmer said.
This summit comes in the wake of recent messages from Trump, signaling that the US will no longer take the lead in securing a route primarily used by other nations.
He explained this decision saying that other nations refused to assist or to show any support to the US during the war they started against Iran.
“The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran… go get your own oil,” he stated.
Trump’s statement about the UK came directly after Starmer openly stated that the war in the Middle East is “not our war, we will not be drawn into the conflict, that is not in our national interest.”
The Strait of Hormuz, which facilitates the passage of approximately 20% of the world’s oil and a third of its liquefied natural gas, has been blocked by Iran in response to the ongoing US-Israeli- Iran war.
The blockade has left nearly 1,000 ships stranded and sent global energy prices to historic highs.