The United Kingdom is assembling a coalition of 35 countries to examine how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Europe and its partners confront one of the most serious threats to global energy shipping in years. The talks come after Iran blocked the vital waterway, leaving hundreds of vessels trapped and disrupting a route that normally carries a major share of the world’s oil, gas and fertilizer flows.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the meeting, to be held on Thursday, will focus on diplomatic and political options to restore freedom of navigation, protect stranded ships and crews, and restart the movement of essential commodities. The initiative carries added weight because the United States will not take part directly, highlighting a growing divide over how the crisis should be handled and who should lead the effort to stabilize the route.
The stakes are difficult to overstate. Before the conflict, about a fifth of global oil and gas supplies moved through Hormuz, along with roughly a third of the fertilizer needed for half of the world’s food production. With traffic now reduced to a fraction of normal levels, the issue has rapidly become more than a regional security problem. It is a test of whether an international coalition can restore access to one of the global economy’s most important maritime chokepoints.
A coalition forms around safe passage
Starmer said the 35-country gathering will assess every viable diplomatic and political step that could help reopen the strait and guarantee the security of ships and seafarers. Downing Street described the meeting as the first time this group of nations has come together to discuss a workable path to restoring passage through Hormuz.
The countries involved are those that signed a joint statement last month, along with additional partners that have since joined. They include the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. Their shared position is based on readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at ensuring safe transit through the strait.
The structure of the meeting suggests Britain is trying to build a broad diplomatic front rather than rely on a narrower military response. By gathering European allies, Indo Pacific partners and regional players in one forum, London is signaling that the disruption to Hormuz has become a collective international problem rather than a matter to be left to a single power.
The US absence gives the effort a sharper edge
One of the most striking aspects of the meeting is that the United States has not been invited directly to participate. The focus is instead on the countries that endorsed the earlier joint position, as well as other European allies and key maritime and regional actors. That choice reflects both the practical basis of the coalition and the political tension now surrounding Washington’s role in the conflict.
Donald Trump has said it should fall to other countries to make the strait safe if the United States ends its strikes on Tehran, while also criticizing European governments for not backing his war more fully. At the same time, he has maintained an aggressive public line toward Iran, saying there would be no ceasefire until Tehran gives up control of the waterway.
That contrast leaves Britain trying to steer a more coordinated and multinational response at a moment when the Western alliance is not fully aligned on strategy. The result is a diplomatic initiative that is as notable for who is missing as for who is attending.
Military planning is already taking shape
Although Thursday’s discussions are framed around diplomatic and political options, Starmer made clear that military planning will follow. He said British planners would meet afterward to examine how capabilities could be organized to make the strait accessible and safe once the fighting stops. That wording suggests London is preparing for a post-conflict security operation rather than an immediate intervention while hostilities are still active.
The challenge, however, is likely to be long and complex. Starmer has already warned that reopening the waterway will not be easy, even after the fighting ends. After meeting energy and shipping executives earlier in the week, he said their main concern was not insurance but the basic safety and security of passage. In other words, the issue is not merely whether ships are financially covered, but whether crews and cargoes can move without unacceptable risk.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has already sent military planners to U.S. Central Command to study options for helping tankers move through the strait. That suggests the groundwork is being laid now for a more practical operation later, even if the political conditions for such a move have not yet emerged.
The global economic pressure keeps building
The urgency behind the British initiative is rooted in the sheer scale of the disruption. Around 1,000 ships are stranded because of Iran’s partial blockade, and only about 130 vessels have managed to pass through Hormuz since the war began, a figure that would normally represent roughly a single day of traffic. That collapse has intensified concern across energy, shipping and commodity markets.
The disruption reaches well beyond oil and gas. Fertilizer flows are also at risk, which means the effects can extend into agriculture and food production if the blockage persists. That makes Hormuz not only an energy flashpoint but also a broader supply chain hazard with potential consequences for inflation, trade and food security.
Iran has shown no sign of softening its position, with the Revolutionary Guards stating that the strait will remain closed to the country’s enemies and remains under naval control. That leaves Britain and its partners facing a difficult task. They are trying to build a credible framework for reopening the route, but any lasting solution will depend on more than diplomatic coordination alone. It will also depend on whether the broader conflict moves toward an outcome that makes passage through Hormuz possible again.