British Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to Paris on Friday to co-host a summit on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes. Leaders from approximately 40 countries joined the virtual meeting.
Why it matters
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping for nearly seven weeks. The blockage has pushed global oil prices above $100 per barrel, driven fuel costs to multi-year highs in dozens of countries, and disrupted supply chains for petrochemicals, fertilisers, and liquefied natural gas. Reopening it is now an economic urgency for countries far beyond the Middle East.
The plan
The summit launched what Starmer and Macron have branded the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Freedom of Navigation Initiative. Macron described the proposed mission as “strictly defensive,” limited to non-belligerent countries and deployed only “when security conditions allow.”
The initiative would focus on two tasks: protecting commercial shipping through the strait and clearing the sea mines laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since late February.
Who attended
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni attended in person. Japan, South Korea, India, and several Gulf states joined by video, according to the French presidency. Starmer told the summit that reopening the strait was “a global responsibility, not a regional one.”
The United States was notably absent from the planning, reflecting Washington’s role as a belligerent in the conflict with Iran.
The security challenge
Iran’s IRGC has launched 21 confirmed attacks on merchant vessels since February and has reportedly laid sea mines in the strait’s shipping lanes. Insurers have suspended coverage for vessels transiting the area, effectively halting commercial traffic even in the absence of a formal blockade.
Any naval mission would need to operate in waters where Iranian coastal defences, fast-attack boats, and submarine capabilities pose significant threats.
What comes next
A military planning summit is scheduled at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood next week, where contributing nations will discuss force composition, rules of engagement, and timelines. No date has been set for the mission to begin operations.