UK Leads Virtual Meeting with 40 Countries to Develop Strategy to Resolve Strait of Hormuz Crisis

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has emphasised the “urgent need” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. To that end, she held an emergency virtual meeting with around 40 countries to discuss joint steps to safeguard this critical global oil route.

Cooper stated that Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has struck at global economic security. The strait has been closed since the US-Israel war against Iran began on 28 February. This has impacted global supplies of essential commodities, including oil, liquefied natural gas, and fertiliser, leading to sharp rises in energy prices.

“There is an urgent need to restore freedom of navigation for international shipping, and our collective international resolve to see the strait reopened,” Cooper said, opening the meeting as reported by AFP on Thursday (2/4/2026).

A total of 37 countries have signed a joint statement expressing their readiness to contribute to securing the shipping route. Countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands are among them.

However, several major countries, including the United States, China, and most Middle Eastern nations, have not joined the statement.

Cooper accused Iran of hijacking international shipping lanes and holding the global economy hostage. She said the forum would focus on mobilising diplomatic and economic pressure to ensure the safe and sustainable reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have seen Iran hijack international shipping lanes to hold the global economy hostage,” Cooper added.

A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry said securing the Strait of Hormuz “can only be done after the intensive bombing phase ends”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to South Korea, stated that a military operation to free the Strait of Hormuz is “not realistic”, while regretting former US President Trump’s varying daily statements on the Iran war and NATO.

“There are parties advocating the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through military operations, a position sometimes expressed by the United States,” Macron said.

“I say sometimes because it varies; it is not a choice we have ever made, and we consider it unrealistic,” he added.