\n France and the UK will co-host a video conference Friday of countries ready to contribute to a “purely defensive mission” to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the French president’s office said. <\/p>\n
Issued on: 14\/04\/2026 – 15:03<\/p>\n
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French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair the meeting to discuss a plan to “restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when security conditions allow”, the Elys\u00e9e said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the British prime minister’s office said: “The summit will advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping<\/a> once the conflict ends.”<\/p>\n UK Prime Minister Starmer said Monday that Britain had convened more than 40 nations.<\/p>\n Macron said in early March that France and its allies were preparing a “defensive” mission to reopen the strategically vital waterway. He has however ruled out vessel escorts under “bombings.”<\/p>\n Accept France, UK to hold talks without US on restoring Strait of Hormuz traffic<\/a><\/p>\n “Several dozen countries have already taken part in preparatory work led in particular by the chiefs of staff to define the framework for such a mission,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told Radio France Internationale on Tuesday.<\/p>\n “It is a matter of coordinating with the coastal states,” he added.<\/p>\n US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February sparked a region-wide war and brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill, blocking a key route for global oil and gas shipments.<\/p>\n Iran and the United States last week agreed to a two-week cessation of hostilities, but ceasefire talks<\/a> between the warring sides in Pakistan over the weekend ended in failure.<\/p>\n
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