The United Kingdom is leading a diplomatic push to address the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, convening foreign ministers from 40 countries for a virtual summit on Thursday. The meeting, chaired by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, comes as Iranian retaliatory attacks on commercial shipping have brought nearly all maritime traffic through the critical waterway to a halt since the US-Iran conflict began on February 28.
The United States, whose military campaign against Iran triggered the strait’s closure, has declined to participate.
A Coalition Without the US
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the summit, stating that it “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures” to restore commercial passage through the strait. The initiative represents one of the broadest multilateral efforts since the war began, drawing participation from European, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African nations.
Countries confirmed to attend include the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Panama, Nigeria, and multiple Scandinavian and Baltic states. The broad geographic representation reflects the global economic impact of the strait’s closure — approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply passed through the Hormuz chokepoint before the war.
The absence of the United States is notable. President Donald Trump dismissed calls for American involvement in securing the waterway, telling allied nations to “build up some delayed courage” and suggesting they “go to the Strait and just take it.” Trump has maintained that protecting international shipping lanes in the Gulf is not an American obligation, even as the conflict his administration initiated has caused the disruption.
The coalition is seen in part as an effort by European governments to demonstrate to Washington that they are willing to take responsibility for their own security interests — a recurring demand from the Trump administration.
No Military Option on the Table
Despite Trump’s rhetoric, no participating country has expressed willingness to forcibly reopen the strait while fighting between the US and Iran continues. French President Emmanuel Macron was direct in his assessment of the military option.
Macron has instead advocated for direct diplomatic engagement with Tehran, suggesting that a negotiated arrangement for commercial transit could be explored separately from the broader conflict. Iran has stated that “non-hostile” ships may transit the strait and that the waterway is only closed to nations it considers enemies and their allies — though shipping companies have largely refused to risk passage given the ongoing attacks.
Starmer indicated that military planning is not off the table entirely but would focus on the post-conflict period. He said military planners from coalition nations will convene soon to develop security frameworks for shipping “after the fighting has stopped.”
The Toll on Commercial Shipping
The impact on maritime commerce has been severe. According to data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, there have been 23 direct attacks on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf since the war began on February 28. These attacks have killed 11 crew members and damaged or destroyed multiple cargo and tanker ships.
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Direct attacks on commercial vessels | 23 | Lloyd’s List Intelligence |
| Crew members killed | 11 | Lloyd’s List Intelligence |
| Brent crude price before Trump’s remarks | ~$100/barrel | Market data |
| Brent crude price after Trump’s remarks | ~$105/barrel | Market data |
| Saudi Yanbu port exports (Jan–Feb) | ~770,000 bpd | Industry reports |
| Saudi Yanbu port exports (current) | ~4,000,000 bpd | Industry reports |
| Countries in UK-led coalition | 40 | UK Government |
The near-total shutdown of Hormuz traffic has forced oil-exporting nations to seek alternative routes. Saudi Arabia has dramatically increased exports through its Red Sea port of Yanbu, raising output from approximately 770,000 barrels per day in January and February to roughly 4 million barrels per day — a fivefold increase that underscores both the severity of the Hormuz disruption and the kingdom’s infrastructure capacity on its western coast.
Energy markets have responded with sustained volatility. Brent crude jumped from $100 to $105 per barrel following Trump’s comments suggesting allies should forcibly take control of the strait, as traders interpreted the remarks as a signal that the US has no near-term plans to address the shipping crisis.
Iran’s Position
Tehran has maintained that its actions in the strait are defensive and retaliatory, framed as a response to the American military campaign. Iranian officials have stated that commercial vessels from non-hostile nations may still transit the waterway, drawing a distinction between countries participating in or supporting the US-led military operations and those that have remained neutral.
In practice, however, this assurance has done little to restore traffic. Insurance premiums for Gulf transit have skyrocketed, and major shipping companies have suspended operations through the strait regardless of their flag state, citing the unpredictable nature of the attacks and the difficulty of determining which vessels Iran considers “non-hostile.”
Did You Know?
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The Strait of Hormuz is only 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point, with shipping lanes for inbound and outbound traffic each just 3 kilometers wide, separated by a 3-kilometer buffer zone — making it one of the most constrained maritime chokepoints in the world.
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Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port on the Red Sea was originally built in the 1980s partly as a strategic hedge against exactly this scenario — a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The East-West Pipeline connecting Saudi oil fields to Yanbu was designed to bypass the Gulf entirely.
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Panama’s participation in the coalition reflects the Central American nation’s unique stake in global shipping — as operator of the Panama Canal, disruption to any major maritime chokepoint directly affects global shipping patterns and canal traffic volumes.
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Lloyd’s of London, the world’s oldest insurance market, has classified the entire Persian Gulf as a war-risk zone, triggering premium increases of up to 1,000% for vessels attempting transit — effectively making commercial shipping economically unviable even without a physical blockade.
What Comes Next
The Thursday summit is expected to produce a joint statement outlining diplomatic principles for restoring Hormuz transit, though concrete mechanisms remain uncertain. The coalition faces a fundamental constraint: without the United States at the table and with no country willing to use force while the war continues, the group’s leverage over the situation is limited.
The meeting nonetheless marks a significant moment in the conflict — the largest coordinated international response to the war’s economic fallout and a test of whether European and allied nations can organize an effective multilateral initiative independent of Washington.
Starmer’s reference to post-conflict military planning suggests that the UK and its partners are already looking beyond the current fighting, preparing frameworks for the complex task of restoring secure maritime passage once hostilities end. For now, however, the strait remains effectively closed, and global energy markets continue to absorb the consequences.