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UK Leads 40+ Nations Summit to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran Attacks

UK Leads 40+ Nations Summit to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Iran Attacks
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Britain convened representatives from more than 40 countries on Thursday in an urgent push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has “slowed to a trickle” after weeks of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and a near‑shutdown of the world’s most important oil chokepoint aljazeera +1. The summit unfolded as oil prices spiked and insurers warned that the waterway, which normally carries about a fifth of global crude, could remain effectively closed for months without a coordinated response thefederal +1.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who chaired the virtual meeting, accused Iran of “hijack[ing] an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage” and framed the talks as the start of a diplomatic and political campaign rather than a rush to military confrontation economictimes. The United States, whose strikes on Iran in late February helped trigger the current crisis, did not attend after President Donald Trump told allies the task of securing Hormuz now lay with them aljazeera +1.

What the UK‑Led Coalition Is Planning — and Who’s In

Officials said “more than 40” countries, including European powers such as France and Germany and major energy importers like India and Japan, joined the talks and endorsed a statement calling on Iran to halt attacks on shipping and pledging to contribute to “appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” aljazeera +1. Britain and France are now preparing a follow‑on meeting of military planners next week to map out post‑ceasefire steps such as sea‑mine clearance, ship escorts and intelligence sharing for any multinational security mission aljazeera +1.

The coalition’s strategy rested on a phased approach: immediate diplomatic pressure and potential sanctions to persuade Tehran to ease its de facto blockade, coupled with technical and naval planning to reassure shipowners and insurers once hostilities subside news18. France’s President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that any attempt to “open the strait by force” would be “unrealistic” given Iran’s missile and coastal defenses, arguing instead that a durable solution “can only be done in coordination with Iran” news18. Gulf states, particularly the United Arab Emirates, have pushed for a tougher line, asking the UN Security Council to authorise measures under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, including the possible use of force, to secure the waterway reuters.

A Chokepoint Crisis Fueling a Global Energy Shock

The meeting followed a month‑long collapse in traffic through Hormuz after Iran, responding to US‑Israeli strikes that began on February 28, launched a campaign of drone, missile and explosive‑boat attacks on commercial vessels and regional infrastructure aljazeera +1. Lloyd’s List Intelligence has recorded at least 23 direct attacks on merchant ships and 11 deaths among seafarers, figures that have driven war‑risk insurance premiums sharply higher and pushed many shipowners to reroute or halt Gulf sailings altogether aljazeera +1.

Energy analysts estimated roughly 13 million barrels per day — about 31% of seaborne crude flows — normally transit the strait, along with significant volumes of liquefied natural gas; Asian importers are seen as particularly exposed to prolonged disruption thefederal +1. Some Iran‑linked tankers and “non‑hostile” ships have continued to move under a vetted and tolled passage regime run by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, but overall traffic remains dominated by Iranian interests and far below normal volumes indexbox. One commodities strategist described the de facto closure as “an insurance‑driven shutdown,” stressing that even a robust naval escort mission would not quickly restore confidence without a clear reduction in attack risk and political tensions news24online.

The Bigger Picture

With the US signaling it will not lead a new Hormuz patrol and Europe reluctant to endorse forcible reopening, the UK‑led effort has become a test of whether a broad coalition of mid‑sized and regional powers can secure one of the world’s most strategic waterways without triggering a wider war stalbertgazette +1. The coming weeks — as planners meet, the UN weighs the UAE’s request, and Iran calibrates its attacks — will determine whether Hormuz reopens through negotiation, remains a pressure point in the Iran conflict, or becomes the stage for a risky multinational security operation with global economic consequences aljazeera +1.