UK to host talks with 35 countries on reopening Strait of Hormuz

Britain will host talks ​on Thursday aimed at forming a coalition of countries to explore ways to reopen ‌the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump said securing the vital waterway was a problem for other nations to resolve.

British foreign minister Yvette Cooper will chair the virtual meeting of about 35 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Canada and ​the United Arab Emirates around midday in London to explore ways to restore freedom of ​navigation in the area.

The United States is not due to attend.

Also Read: Iran will take ‘necessary actions’ to block military use of Strait of Hormuz: foreign ministry spox

The meeting takes ⁠place after Trump said in an address to his nation 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.

Focus on mines, protecting tankers

Iran has effectively shut down the Strait, which carries about a fifth of the world's total oil consumption, in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, which began in late February. Reopening the waterway has become a priority for governments ​around the world as energy prices soar.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday the meeting would assess "all viable diplomatic and political measures" to restore the freedom of navigation in the area after a ceasefire has ‌been reached.

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 explore ways to reopen the waterway ​once a ceasefire is ​agreed, according to European ⁠officials.

Read More: Takeaways from Trump's speech on Iran

The talks on Thursday will be the first formal meeting of the group before more detailed discussions involving military planners over the coming weeks, the ​officials said.

One European official said it was expected that any first phase of ​any plan ⁠for reopening the Strait would be on ensuring the waterway was free of mines, followed by a second phase to protect tankers crossing the area.

Starmer said reopening the waterway would "not be easy" and would require "a united ⁠front ​of military strength and diplomatic activity" alongside working with the ​shipping industry.

Trump said on Wednesday that other countries that use the Strait of Hormuz should "build up some delayed courage" and "just grab it". "Just ​take it, protect it, use it for yourselves," he said.

'Back to the Stone Ages'

The president and his advisers ​have offered shifting explanations and timelines for the conflict, as well as what they will require from Iran for it to end. While portraying Iran as militarily neutered, Trump also said on Wednesday night the US would hit the nation hard for another two or three weeks.

If the country's new leaders did not negotiate satisfactorily, he said, the US would begin attacking the nation's electricity generation and oil infrastructure.

As Trump spoke, air sirens blared across both Doha and ​Tel Aviv, illustrating how the Islamic Republic is still able to wreak havoc across the Middle East, despite taking heavy losses.

"We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three ​weeks," Trump said. "We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong."

"In the meantime, discussions are ongoing," he added. "Yet if during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on ‌key targets."

A ⁠day earlier, Trump told reporters Tehran did not have to make a deal as a prerequisite for the conflict to wind down.

While the president on Wednesday briefly acknowledged growing concerns among Americans that the war is making gasoline unaffordable, he insisted that prices would soon go down and that the increases were mainly Iran's fault.

He added that countries that get most of their oil supply from the Gulf region should take the lead in opening the strait. Britain, France and other US allies have said they are willing to help to keep the strait open, but only after hostilities have ceased.

"They can do ​it easily," Trump said. "We will be helpful, but ​they should take the lead in protecting the ⁠oil that they so desperately depend on," he said.

Trump has expressed anger that NATO allies have not offered to help open the strait, even threatening to withdraw from the 76-year-old alliance.

While he had told Reuters earlier in the day that he would discuss the US relationship with NATO in his ​speech, he did not mention the bloc.