UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemns Iran’s ‘recklessness’, says ‘urgent need’ to reopen Strait of Hormuz
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemns Iran’s ‘recklessness’, says ‘urgent need’ to reopen Strait of Hormuz")
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said around 20,000 tracked seafarers are stranded on some 2,000 trapped ships. Photograph: (X)
Britain is hosting the talks aimed at forming a coalition of countries to explore ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump said that it was the responsibility of countries that rely on the waterway to ensure it was open.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned Iran’s “recklessness” for “hitting global economic security” in her addresses at the virtual meeting of foreign ministers from around 35 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.
“We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage,” Cooper said in her opening remarks, which were broadcast by media before the rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors.
Cooper is chairing the meeting convened by the UK as an effort for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping route.
Cooper told the meeting of around 40 foreign ministers there is an “urgent need” to restore the freedom of navigation for international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.
In the last 24 hours, only 25 vessels have passed through the strait while usually 150 vessels cross through, she said.
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Cooper added that around 20,000 tracked seafarers are stranded on some 2,000 trapped ships due to the strait’s near-total closure.
‘Military planner talks will follow,’ says Cooper
Cooper further said that the discussions on Thursday will be followed up by a meeting of military planners to look into what can be done to secure safe navigation in the area.
“We are also convening military planners to look at how we marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases,” Cooper said.
The meeting will focus on discussing “collective mobilisation of our full range of diplomatic and economic tools and pressure,” she added.
Also Read: ‘US troops will be good food for Persian Gulf sharks’: Iran again warns against ground assault
The foreign ministers will also discuss action to guarantee the safety of ships and seafarers, as well as effective coordination needed across the world to enable a safe and sustained opening of the strait, Cooper says.
Britain is hosting the talks 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 and it was the responsibility of countries that rely on the waterway to ensure it was open.
Also Read: PM chairs key meeting, orders steps to ensure supplies, curb price hike risks amid conflict
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 leading to a sharp spurt in fuel prices amid a supply crunch.
European countries initially refused Trump’s demand to send their navies to the area because of fears about being dragged into the conflict.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that reopening the waterway would not be easy and would require a “united front of military strength and diplomatic activity."
