The UK convenes over forty countries to discuss strategies to restart navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain on Thursday accused Iran of holding the global economy hostage. At the time, diplomats from more than 40 countries were discussing plans to restart traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This key shipping route has been suspended since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.

The United States did not take part in this online meeting. Earlier, Trump had made it clear that keeping this waterway, which was shut down by the United States and Israel due to their war with Iran, open is not America’s responsibility. Trump also belittled European allies for not supporting the war, and again threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO.

British Foreign Secretary Iveat Cooper said that the talks focus on political and diplomatic means, rather than military routes, demonstrating the international community’s firm determination to restart navigation through the strait.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, she said, “Iran blocks an international shipping gateway to hold the global economy hostage. The chaos of surging oil prices and soaring food prices is hard to sustain, and it is affecting families and businesses around the world.”

Shipping through the strait is nearly at a standstill

Iran attacks merchant ships, and threatens to carry out more strikes, causing this route linking the Persian Gulf to the open seas to be nearly shut down. A key global oil transport corridor is obstructed, and oil prices have jumped immediately.

According to shipping data intelligence firm Lloyd’s Intelligence, since fighting broke out on February 28, the Gulf region has seen 23 direct attacks on merchant ships, resulting in the deaths of 11 crew members.

In a briefing released on Thursday, the firm said the strait’s traffic volume has fallen to an extremely low level, with only occasional passage by tankers that evade sanctions and transport Iranian crude oil. Iran still secretly reviews vessels in the past, continuing to tightly guard this strategic waterway.

In a televised address late on Wednesday, Trump said that countries that rely on oil transportation through the Strait of Hormuz must proactively protect the route, and the United States will not intervene.

With the fighting currently stuck in a stalemate, Iran can use anti-ship missiles, drones, attack craft, and mines to strike ships, and no country is willing to forcefully clear the strait by military means.

French President Emmanuel Macron said bluntly that it is unrealistic to open the route by force.

During his visit to South Korea on Thursday, he told reporters that only after ceasefire talks and cooperation with Iran can the strait be reopened.

France is pushing to form an international escort flotilla that includes European and non-European countries. After the most intense phase of the conflict, it will provide route protection for oil and gas tankers. The British government said that military planners from multiple countries will meet next week to discuss postwar security plans, including mine-clearing operations and measures to escort merchant ships.

Meanwhile, more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the UAE, jointly issued a statement calling on Iran to stop blocking the strait and pledging to coordinate reasonable actions to ensure safe passage through the route.

Cooper said the participating countries have increased from the previously announced 35 to more than 40. All sides are discussing diplomatic arrangements and international contingency plans to help restart safe navigation through the strait, and are also working to rescue the more than 20,000 crew members trapped on about 2,000 ships due to the war.

The meeting is intended to send a signal to Trump

This international cooperation follows the “voluntary alliance” model led by Britain and France—an alliance designed to maintain Ukraine’s security after the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. In essence, it is also meant to prove to the Trump administration that Europe is taking defense responsibility proactively.

Trump has again raised the idea of the United States or withdrawing from NATO, further highlighting the urgency for Europe to strengthen its own homeland defense. He said on Wednesday that NATO is extremely unfair to the United States.

David B. Roberts, a lecturer on Middle East security at King’s College London, believes that when countries form alliances for the Strait of Hormuz, it clearly echoes Trump’s stance of dissatisfaction with NATO allies not doing enough.

He said, “The action led by Britain and France is intended to clearly show Trump Europe’s execution power and values. What’s more, the United States is already an oil exporter, and the energy shock caused by the Gulf shipping blockade places the greatest strain on Europe and Asia—not the United States.”

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责任编辑：Li Zhaofu