UK to host multi-nation meeting on Hormuz shipping

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) listens to a question during a press conference to update on the latest situation in the Middle East and how the government is supporting families at home at 10 Downing Street in London on April 1, 2026.

Britain will this week hold a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on April 1.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host the discussions, Starmer told reporters during a Downing Street press conference, without specifying the day of the talks.

The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities,” Starmer said.

"Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.

The discussions will include countries who recently signed a statement saying they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Starmer said.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands are among those to have signed it.