UK will not back blockade of Strait of Hormuz, Starmer says
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to the media on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in central London on March 16, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that, whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
"We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened.
"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," Starmer said.
Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and while he could not discuss operational matters, the military capability was "focused from our point of view on getting the Strait fully open".
Also Read: Iran says Gulf ports are 'either for everyone or for no one'
Starmer said Britain was facing pressure to join the war, but he would not do so unless there was a "clear lawful basis" and a "clear thought-through plan".
"My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there's been some considerable pressure, we're not getting dragged into the war," he said.
Starmer also posted on X about the UK and France co-hosting "a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends."
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures.
The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation.
This week the UK and France will co-host a…About 40 countries at the beginning of April discussed joint action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stop Iran holding "the global economy hostage," Britain said, after US President Donald Trump said securing the waterway was for others to resolve.
The discussions took place after Trump said 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.
The US military said it would begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.
Read More: What does a US naval blockade of Iran mean for oil flows?
The US Central Command said that the US blockade, starting at 10am ET on Monday (7pm PKT), 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."
Vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be impeded, the US military said.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday US forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.
"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas," Trump wrote on social media, adding: "Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!"
Also Read: US blockade of Iran will be major military endeavor, experts say
Meanwhile, the unified command of the Iranian armed forces said the ports in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman are “either for everyone or for no one”, state broadcaster IRIB reported, according to Al Jazeera.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran consider defending the legal rights of our country a natural and legal duty, and accordingly, exercising the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the territorial waters of our country is the natural right of the Iranian nation,” IRIB cited Iran’s forces as stating.
The forces' statement read “Enemy-affiliated vessels” will have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while other vessels will be allowed passage, subject to regulations by Tehran. “The criminal US’s imposition of restrictions on the movement of vessels in international waters is an illegal act and amounts to piracy.”
If the security of the ports is threatened, no port in the region “will be safe”, the forces added.