Starmer says UK will not support US blockade of Hormuz Strait

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says his country will not join the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by Donald Trump, a move also criticiZed by other US allies.

Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in ‌a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

"We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened.

"It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put all of our efforts in the last few weeks and we'll ⁠continue to do so," Starmer said.

Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and while he could not discuss operational matters, the military capability was "focused from our point of view on getting the Strait fully open".

Starmer said Britain was facing pressure to join the war, but he would not do so unless there was a "clear lawful basis" and a "clear thought-through plan".

"My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there's been some considerable pressure, we're not getting dragged into the war," he said.

The Us military said it would begin a blockade ‌of ⁠all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

The Us Central Command said that the US blockade, starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday (1400 GMT), would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all ⁠nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman."

Vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be ⁠impeded, the Us military said.

Trump said on Sunday Us forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

"No one who pays ⁠an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," Trump wrote on social media, adding: "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"

Starmer has continued to “maintain a delicate balancing act” of saying the UK will not be joining the war while being careful not to level any criticism directly at Trump regarding his actions in the war.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and the UK would hold a conference in the coming days aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait.

Macron reiterated that no diplomatic effort be spared in reaching a lasting end to the US-Israel war on Iran.

Nicole Grajewski, assistant professor at the Center for International Research at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, said a US blockade was “not a minor coercive signal” but could rather be considered essentially a resumption of the war.

Other US allies also criticised Trump’s move, including Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles, who said the planned naval blockade “makes no sense”.

“It’s one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we’ve been

dragged,” she said.

Fellow NATO ally Turkiye said the Strait of Hormuz should open “as soon as possible”.

“Negotiations with Iran should be conducted, persuasion methods should be used and the strait should be opened as soon as possible,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-run Anadolu news agency.

China, Washington’s great power rival and a big importer of Iranian oil, also criticised the plan.

“The Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and maintaining its security, stability and unimpeded flow is in the common interest of the international community,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said, urging Iran and the US not to reignite the war. — Agencies