UK to host 35-country meeting on reopening Strait of Hormuz

Wednesday April 1, 2026

Britain says it will bring dozens of countries together for urgent talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after the US-Israeli war on Iran effectively shut down one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday.

At a news conference, Starmer said Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper would chair a virtual meeting on Thursday involving 35 countries. The aim, he said, is to examine steps that could be taken to restore the strait “after the fighting has stopped”.

The meeting will “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities”, the UK prime minister said.

“Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped,” Starmer added.

Governments around the world have expressed alarm over Iran’s effective closure of the waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas shipments pass, as US-Israeli strikes continue and Iranian attacks hit targets across the Middle East.

The disruption has driven energy prices sharply higher and prompted several countries to announce releases from strategic oil and gas reserves in an effort to cushion the blow.

Starmer said on Wednesday that the talks would include countries that recently backed a statement saying they were ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz”.

Among those that signed the statement are the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands.

“I do have to level with people on this. This [reopening] will not be easy,” Starmer said.

Trump has accused the UK and other European governments of failing to act to reopen the strait and of not giving Washington enough support in the war, drawing condemnation from European capitals.

On Tuesday, the US president posted on his Truth Social platform that “all those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom” should either buy from the US or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT”.

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” Trump said.