UK splits with U.S. over Hormuz strategy
A clear split has emerged between London and Washington over how to handle the escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer firmly ruling out British participation in the US military blockade of Iranian ports.
Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Starmer was unambiguous about the UK’s position. “We’re not supporting the blockade and all of the marshalling diplomatically, politically and capability… that’s all focused, from our point of view, on getting the Strait fully open,” he said, adding that his efforts since returning from a recent visit to the Gulf region had been directed at keeping the vital shipping lane open, “not shut.”
The blockade was announced by President Donald Trump after negotiations between US and Iranian officials in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad collapsed without a lasting peace agreement. Trump declared the US would start “BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” with US Central Command subsequently confirming it would enforce the measure impartially on vessels moving in and out of Iranian ports across the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The announcement sent Brent crude oil surging above $100 a barrel, a reflection of just how much is at stake in a waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments once flowed freely, before Iran effectively closed it off following US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Trump suggested other nations would join the blockade effort, claiming that the UK and other countries were sending minesweepers and that NATO had offered to help “clean out” the strait. Starmer acknowledged the UK does possess mine-sweeping capability but pointedly declined to confirm any such deployment, saying he “wouldn’t go into operational matters.” British naval ships and soldiers, he made clear, would not be used to block Iranian ports.
The divergence is diplomatically significant. Rather than aligning with Washington’s confrontational approach, London is pursuing a coalition-building strategy focused on restoring freedom of navigation. In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer stressed the need to work with a broad range of partners on the issue, with a UK government spokesperson confirming: “We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.”
The spokesperson also pushed back against reports that Iran has begun demanding $2 million in transit fees from tankers passing through the strait, stating that ships “must not be subject to tolling.”
With global energy markets rattled and a planned fuel duty increase in September already drawing fire from opposition parties, the economic pressure on the British government is mounting. Starmer said the duty rise was being “kept under review,” noting that “a lot will depend on what happens in the next few weeks.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due in Washington this week for the IMF meeting, where reopening the Hormuz shipping channel will be high on her agenda.
For now, Britain is walking a careful line, maintaining a regional military presence through minesweepers and anti-drone capabilities, while refusing to be drawn into what Starmer clearly views as an escalation the UK has no interest in owning.
Source: BBC
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