British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has declared that the United Kingdom will not participate in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a measure announced by United States President Donald Trump that has drawn criticism from other US allies. Speaking to BBC radio on Monday, Starmer stated, “We are not supporting the blockade,” emphasizing that the UK “is not getting dragged in” to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Starmer underscored the critical importance of reopening the strait, a vital waterway through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies pass during peacetime, connecting the Gulf to the Indian Ocean. “It is in my view vital that we get the strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put all of our efforts in the last few weeks, and we’ll continue to do so,” he affirmed.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, noted that Starmer is maintaining a delicate balance, asserting the UK’s non-involvement in the war while carefully avoiding direct criticism of Trump’s actions. Since the conflict began, traffic through the strait has been severely restricted, with Iran permitting passage only for vessels serving friendly nations like China.
Starmer’s statement coincided with the US military’s announcement of a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, effective from 14:00 GMT. The enforcement mechanism for this blockade remained unclear. The US military’s Central Command stated that the blockade would be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” while assuring that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports would not be impeded.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday, Trump articulated his objective to clear the strait of mines and restore it to full shipping, asserting that Iran should not profit from controlling the waterway.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an upcoming conference involving France and the UK, aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait. Macron reiterated the necessity of exhausting all diplomatic efforts to achieve a lasting resolution to the US-Israel war on Iran.
Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at the Center for International Research at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, characterized a US blockade as “not a minor coercive signal” but rather a potential resumption of the war. Other US allies also voiced disapproval of Trump’s initiative. Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles dismissed the planned naval blockade as making “no sense,” calling it “one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we’ve been dragged.”
Fellow NATO ally Turkiye urged the Strait of Hormuz to be opened “as soon as possible.” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Anadolu news agency that “negotiations with Iran should be conducted, persuasion methods should be used and the strait should be opened as soon as possible.”
China, a major importer of Iranian oil and a rival to Washington, also criticized the plan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun stated, “The Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and maintaining its security, stability and unimpeded flow is in the common interest of the international community,” urging Iran and the US to avoid reigniting the war.
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