UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the UK-France plan for a maritime mission in the Strait of Hormuz in response to reports suggesting a Nato deployment is being considered.
She said the plan championed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron involved countries “from across the globe” rather than just the transatlantic Nato military alliance.
The UK-France plan would use assets, potentially including the Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon, to reassure shipping and clear mines from the vital oil and gas shipping route which has been effectively closed by Iran since the start of the US-Israeli military offensive.
The US is Nato’s largest military power and US President Donald Trump has been critical of the alliance for refusing to support his action against Iran.
Cooper said the UK-France initiative was clearly separate from the conflict and would commence only once hostilities were over.
Cooper told the Press Association: “We want to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened, because at the moment Iran is effectively hijacking the global economy and we’re seeing countries on the opposite side of the world seeing their fertiliser restricted, oil and gas prices shoot up, because of the restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz.
“And that’s affecting us in the UK, impacting the cost of living here at home.
“We want to do that, but that’s why the approach the UK has been taking is to lead the diplomatic and the economic pressure and drawing together this coalition of 50 countries to champion freedom of navigation.
“And what we’ve also been doing is working with France on a maritime mission, which is around how you provide reassurance for shipping once the conflict is concluded, so it’s separate from the conflict that’s taken place, but it’s about how we work together once the conflict has concluded.”
Nato’s foreign ministers will meet in Sweden this week ahead of a summit for the alliance’s leaders in July.
According to a Bloomberg report, the alliance is discussing the possibility of escorting ships through the strait if it is not reopened by early July although the plan does not have unanimous support.
Asked if the UK would prefer the joint initiative with the French rather than one under the Nato flag, Cooper said: “That’s what we’ve been working on and it draws together countries that are outside Nato, from across the globe, that have been involved in those discussions and supporting the kind of reassurance that you need, also mine clearance, how we make sure international shipping can get going safely again.
“Because, frankly, it’s about upholding the law of the sea, freedom of navigation, the rule of law. It’s hugely important.”