Brussels 02.04.2026 The United Kingdom has gathered foreign ministers from 40 countries to assess options to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been troubled by the United States and Israel’s unprovoked war against Iran.
The UK is gathering foreign ministers from 40 countries to discuss options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz https://t.co/LuMDLU9KLr pic.twitter.com/Z5AUbQnody
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 2, 2026
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The UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Iran’s “recklessness” in blockading the waterway was “hitting our global economic security” as she chaired the virtual meeting on Thursday, April 2.
UAE and Bahrain only Middle East states joining UK coalition to pressure Iran over Hormuz
Key countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, will not attend the online summit on Thursday
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 2, 2026
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“We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage,” Cooper said in opening remarks broadcast to the media before the rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors.
The special relationship is completely dead. Trump brutally humiliates the UK on the world stage, mocking their aircraft carriers as pathetic toys compared to the US. He openly rejects their delayed offer for help, proving the Western coalition has completely fractured. pic.twitter.com/fAhJySmOvN
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) March 26, 2026
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Iran’s retaliatory attacks on commercial ships related to the U.S. and Israel have halted nearly all traffic in the strait that connects the Gulf to the rest of the globe’s oceans, shutting a critical path for the world’s flow of oil and sending petroleum prices soaring.
BREAKING: The UK and France are building a coalition to help secure the Strait of Hormuz “once conditions allow,” defence officials said.
The UK has offered to host a security conference on the key channel for global oil shipments in either Portsmouth or London in the near… pic.twitter.com/MZ20v3T7Z7
— Global Surveillance (@Globalsurv) March 24, 2026
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The US is not among the countries attending the meeting, which comes after US President Donald Trump stated that securing the waterway is not his country’s job.
Trump has also disparaged the US’s European allies for failing to support the war and renewed his threats to pull the US out of NATO.
The countries participating in Thursday’s summit, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, have signed a statement demanding that Iran stop its attempts to block the strait and pledging to “contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the waterway.
The meeting is considered a first step, to be followed by “working-level meetings” of officials to distill the details.
No country appears willing to try and open the strait by force while fighting rages, and Iran can target vessels with antiship missiles, drones, attack craft and mines.
BREAKING: Iranian military spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said the Strait of Hormuz will be closed 'long-term' to the US and Israel. pic.twitter.com/9FksxKEYRe
— Al Jazeera Breaking News (@AJENews) April 2, 2026
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According to Challands, the British prime minister has been “very explicit” about nonmilitary solutions.
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