Britain says 40 countries discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz after Iran blockade

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper (right) gives her opening remarks as she hosts a virtual meeting with the foreign ministers of the signatory countries on securing the Strait of Hormuz in London on Thursday.

Photo: EPA About 40 countries are discussing joint action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran holding “the global economy hostage”, Britain said on Thursday, after US President Donald Trump said securing the waterway was for others to resolve.

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said Iran’s “recklessness” in blockading ‌the waterway was “hitting our global economic security” as she chaired the virtual meeting, which included France, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and India. “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 United States did not attend the talks, one official said.

The discussions, involving representatives of some 40 countries, took place after Trump said on Wednesday evening that the Strait could open “naturally” and it was the ⁠responsibility of countries that rely on the waterway to ensure it was open.

Iran has effectively shut down the key ‌waterway, which carries about a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes which began in late February.

Reopening it has become a priority for governments around the world as energy prices soar.

European countries initially refused ‌Trump’s demand to send their navies to the area because of fears about being dragged into the conflict.

But concerns about the ⁠impact of the rising cost of ⁠energy on the global economy have prompted them to try to form a coalition to see how they can defend their own interests.

European diplomats said putting the coalition together was at ‌an early stage, with Britain and France leading.

Officials said the discussions on Thursday would focus on which countries were prepared to participate.

France’s Armed Forces spokesperson Guillaume Vernet told a news conference on ‌Thursday that ‌the process would be multi-phased and could not happen until hostilities had calmed or ended.

A key focus of the talks would be how to ‌ensure shipowners could feel confident enough for vessels to resume travelling through the area and to bring down insurance premiums.

There would also eventually need to ⁠be coordination with Iran to ensure tha

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