UK and France plan summit to protect shipping after Strait of Hormuz closure, China warns US over blockade, ASEAN urges US and Iran to restore safe passage
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1 / 6With the US set to enforce its own blockade on ships entering and exiting the Strait of Hormuz anytime now, here’s how the world reacted to the renewed tension in one of the world’s most critical waterways. Iran, on its part, warned that such a move would be “illegal” and become “an example of piracy in international waters”. Many others stressed the importance of free and safe movement, but few skirted around directly addressing US actions. (Image: Reuters)
2 / 6UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is “deeply damaging” and announced that the UK and France will organise a summit to develop a plan to safeguard international shipping. “Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost-of-living pressures. The UK has convened more than 40 nations that share our aim to restore freedom of navigation,” he wrote on X. “This week, the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends,” Starmer added.
3 / 6China has urged restraint, saying a blockade is not in the interest of the international community. Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun also made a strongly-worded warning to the US attempt to block the waterway, clarifying that the Strait of Hormuz is open to China. “We have trade and energy agreements with Iran; we expect others not to interfere in our affairs. The Strait of Hormuz is open to us,” the minister reportedly said. Earlier, its foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also spoke in response to the US claim that said countries like Japan and China have neither the courage nor the will to open the Strait of Hormuz. “The Strait of Hormuz was already open before the war. You are the ones who created the war out of nothing and closed the strait to the rest of the world,” Ning had said. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 6While France has not directly addressed the US blockade in the Gulf’s international waters, President Emmanuel Macron said a “robust framework” is needed to ensure lasting peace. “No effort must be spared to swiftly achieve a solid and lasting resolution to the conflict in the Middle East through diplomatic means,” he wrote on X. “All substantive issues must be addressed with lasting solutions, whether concerning Iran’s nuclear and ballistic activities or its destabilising actions in the region, but also to enable the resumption, as quickly as possible, of free and unhindered navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and to ensure that Lebanon returns to the path of peace in full respect of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he wrote, adding that France is ready to “play its full part” in arriving at a resolution. (Image: PTI)
5 / 6The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also called on the US and Iran to resolve the conflict and restore safe, unimpeded and continuous passage of vessels and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministers of the 11-member bloc stressed the need to prioritise energy access for member states during crises. (Image: Canva)
6 / 6The Strait of Hormuz has become a key concern that has emerged from the US-Iran war that broke out on February 28. Closure of the critical waterway, which serves as the key shipping route for one-fifth of global oil trade, has sent shockwaves through the energy market. Ripple effects were felt in countries across the world, with many now dealing with rising fuel and living costs.
