Britain accused Iran of holding the world’s economy hostage as diplomats from more than 40 countries met to discuss ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route that has been choked off during the conflict involving Iran. The virtual meeting brought together officials from 41 countries representing all continents except Antarctica, according to the U.K., as war-related disruptions have rippled through global fuel and food prices.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper opened the session by saying the threat to shipping and the economic disruption extend beyond the Middle East. She told participants they have “seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage,” adding that “unsustainable” spikes in oil and food prices were “hitting households and businesses in every corner of the world.”
Cooper said the talks focused on political and diplomatic means rather than military options. She framed the gathering as part of what she described as “the strength of our international determination” to reopen the strait and warned that the pressure needed to curb Iran’s ability to profit from control of the waterway.
The United States did not attend the meeting. The Associated Press reported the U.S. absence came after President Donald Trump said securing the strait is not America’s job, and after he disparaged European allies for failing to support the war while renewing threats he has made to pull the U.S. out of NATO.
As shipping slowed, Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels became a central focus of the broader discussion. Lloyd’s List Intelligence, cited during the meeting, said there had been 23 direct attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf since the war began on Feb. 28, and that 11 crew members had been killed, based on shipping data.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence also said traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle, with much of what remains dominated by sanctions-evading tankers carrying Iranian oil. In a briefing Thursday, the firm said an operation in which Iran vets who can pass continues, even as Iran maintains what Britain described as a chokehold on the key waterway.
In a televised address Wednesday night, Trump said countries that depend on oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz “must grab it and cherish it” because the U.S. would not. The U.K. and others said no country appeared willing to try to open the strait by force while fighting rages and while Iran can target vessels with anti-ship missiles, drones, attack craft and mines.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters Thursday during a visit to South Korea that opening the strait by force was “unrealistic.” Macron said reopening the route “can only be done in coordination with Iran,” through negotiations that would follow a potential ceasefire, and France has been pushing for an international mission intended to escort oil and gas tankers once the conflict’s most intense phase ends.
The British government said military planners from a number of countries would meet next week to plan ways to ensure security once fighting stops, including potential mine-clearing and “reassurance” for commercial shipping. Cooper said participants discussed increasing diplomatic pressure over Iran’s “reckless” attacks and tightening economic measures to prevent Tehran from profiting from control of the strait.
The meeting also included a humanitarian component. Cooper said participants discussed working with the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization to free 2,000 ships and 20,000 seafarers trapped by the conflict, but she said no concrete measures were announced.
Speaking about the broader significance of the coalition-building, David B. Roberts, reader in Middle East Security Studies at King’s College London, said international efforts on Hormuz are tied to wider disputes involving Trump’s posture toward NATO and European burdensharing. Roberts said the aim of visible coalition leadership—particularly by Britain and France—was to demonstrate utility to the Trump administration, noting that the immediate economic fallout from the energy blockage in the Gulf falls more on Europe and Asia than on the U.S.