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Nearly forty countries began discussions on Thursday regarding coordinated action to restore maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes launched since the end of February. This initiative, spearheaded by London, comes as geopolitical tensions pose a direct threat to global energy supplies.
Presiding over a virtual meeting attended by France, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and India, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper denounced Tehran's "irresponsibility," arguing that the blockade of the strait was undermining international economic security.
We have seen Iran divert an international maritime route to hold the global economy hostage," she said in her opening remarks, before the talks continued behind closed doors.
The United States did not participate in the meeting, a British official confirmed. This absence comes the day after US President Donald Trump stated that securing this strategic waterway was primarily the responsibility of the countries that rely on it.
The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial point in global trade: approximately one-fifth of the world's oil consumption passes through it. Its closure immediately triggered a sharp rise in energy prices, prompting several capitals to consider a joint response despite their initial reservations.
European countries initially refused Washington's request to send naval forces to the region, fearing direct involvement in the conflict. However, the deteriorating economic situation and risks in energy markets led London and Paris to accelerate consultations on the establishment of a coalition.
According to several European diplomats, this coalition is still in its embryonic stage. Thursday's discussions focused primarily on identifying states willing to participate in a potential operation, whether diplomatic, logistical, or military.
French military spokesman Guillaume Vernet stressed that the process would necessarily be gradual and that no concrete progress could be envisaged until hostilities had subsided.
One of the central issues in the talks concerns restoring the confidence of shipowners, in order to allow the resumption of maritime traffic and to contain the rise in insurance premiums in the area.
In the long run, some form of coordination with Iran may prove essential to guarantee the safety of ships, although such a prospect appears, at this stage, highly uncertain.
Discussions have also begun regarding the military resources that could be mobilized. "We will need to assemble a sufficient number of ships, have air and maritime coordination capabilities, as well as the ability to share intelligence," stated Guillaume Vernet.
The United Kingdom has already announced that a meeting of military planners will be held next week to examine the operational modalities of a possible intervention.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, judged that a military takeover of the strait was an "unrealistic" option, believing that such an operation would permanently expose ships to coastal threats from the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian ballistic missiles.
