UK, France convene dozens of nations to discuss military plans to 'reopen' Hormuz
Several EU states have resisted joining direct military action, as the UK and France push ahead with plans to challenge Iranian control of the strait
The UK and France are hosting a multinational meeting of defense ministers from over 40 countries on 12 May to discuss possible military action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Defense Secretary John Healey will co-chair a meeting of over 40 nations, alongside his French counterpart, Minister Catherine Vautrin, for the multinational mission’s first Defense Minister’s meeting,” a British Defense Ministry statement said on Sunday.
Healey said the UK and France are turning diplomatic understandings into military plans for the Strait of Hormuz, as both countries have begun moving military assets, including an aircraft carrier and mine-clearing ships, toward the strait ahead of possible military action.
Iran warned that any warship deployment near the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a hostile escalation.
Tehran has insisted that passage through the waterway must remain subject to its approval until the US lifts its blockade, sanctions are removed, frozen assets are released, and its wider regional demands are addressed.
The virtual meeting of defense ministers comes after a previous gathering of military planners in London in April, where the UK and France drew up operational plans for a mission aimed at pushing EU states toward a more direct role in the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
Several EU states had refused to take part in direct military action, favoring diplomatic efforts and limited post-ceasefire security measures over any active confrontation with Iran.
Despite the near-complete halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz under a double blockade imposed by the US and Iran, Tehran continues to facilitate the passage of vessels from friendly states that comply with its new transit rules.
Several energy tankers have recently crossed the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian facilitation, over the past week, despite shipping traffic remaining at around five percent of normal levels.
The vessels include the Agios Fanourios I and Kiara M, two VLCC supertankers each carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude, as well as the Qatari LNG tanker al Kharaitiyat, the first such tanker to successfully cross the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Israeli war on Iran was launched on 28 February.