International Efforts to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz Amid Conflict

The prime minister has spoken to Donald Trump about the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz "to end the disruption to global shipping", Downing Street has said. It comes a day after the US president urged the UK and other nations to send warships to the Gulf to help secure the vital oil shipping channel, which has been all but shut since the US and Israel began their war against Iran two weeks ago. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC earlier that the UK was looking at "any options" which would help reopen the strait, including working with the US and other allies. Iran's effective closure of the waterway has had a catastrophic impact on global supply chains and energy prices. A number of ships are said to have been attacked as they attempted to navigate the narrow strait since the conflict began - through which about 20% of the world's oil usually passes. There are also concerns that Iran has placed mines in the passage as part of its attempts to hinder shipping. According to a statement attributed to Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran will continue blocking the strait, as a means of political and economic pressure against the US. A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sir Keir and Trump had "discussed the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs worldwide". "The prime minister also expressed his condolences for the American service personnel who have lost their lives during the conflict. They agreed to keep in touch." The spokeswoman said the prime minister had also spoken to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in a separate call and they agreed on the importance of ending the blockade. Miliband told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that it was "very important" that the strait be made safe for shipping, but refused to give details of options being considered by the government. He called the strait's reopening a "priority" and said there were "different ways we can contribute, including with mine-hunting drones". Pressed on whether the UK was considering sending drones or ships to the region, Miliband responded: "You can rest assured that any options that can help to get the strait reopened are being looked at in concert with our allies." Refusing to be drawn into operational details, Miliband reiterated that "ending the conflict is the best and surest way to get the strait reopened". Speaking later on the same programme, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said the UK should explore sending ships or drones to the Middle East if it were in the national interest. She said it was in the UK's interests to reopen international shipping lanes and protect military assets abroad, and added that the Conservative party would have allowed its US allies to use UK military bases more quickly than Labour did. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey argued the UK should not send ships to help secure the strait, and instead focus on "de-escalating" the war. Hitting out at Trump as "very reckless" in this "illegal and damaging war", Sir Ed said Britain should not be at the beck and call of an American president "who does not seem to know what he is doing". In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz per day, according to estimates from the US Energy Information Administration – nearly $600bn (£447bn) worth of energy trade per year. It is also a key trading route for other commodities such as helium, the chemical sulphate, and urea, which is used to produce fertiliser. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the strait remains open to vessels that do not belong to the country's "enemies" and that Iran is "open to countries who want to talk" about safe passage through it. He claimed on Sunday to have been approached by a number of nations, but did not name them. Tehran - which has adopted attacks on energy targets as a key element of its response to US and Israeli strikes - has warned that any tanker bound for the either nation or its partners is a legitimate target. At least 16 vessels, including a number of tankers, are reported to have been attacked near the shipping lane during the conflict so far, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said in its latest update. Oil prices have soared since the war began on 28 February, jumping from some $71 a barrel before the conflict to a high of nearly $120 on Monday. Prices have since fallen back but remain elevated. After initially refusing to allow the US to use UK bases for the offensive against Iran, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer gave permission for "defensive" US action on Iranian missile sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean - while maintaining the UK did not believe in "regime change from the skies". Trump had branded Sir Keir "no Winston Churchill" over his approach to the war, and just last week said the US did not need the UK to send aircraft carriers to the region - accusing the prime minister of seeking to "join wars after we've already won". On Sunday, two US B-1 Lancer bombers took off from RAF Fairford - likely carrying powerful "bunker buster" bombs and cruise missiles. Of the three large strategic US Air Force bombers being used in the war - the other two being the B-52 and B-2 stealth aircraft - the Lancers carry the largest payload of weapons. The bombers were expected to take some seven or eight hours to reach Iran, for a total mission time of around 15 hours.