Dozens of countries supported the international right of free access to the Strait of Hormuz at a UK-led conference of 41 nations, called in response to the Iran war.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the countries would use “every possible diplomatic, economic and co-ordinated measure” to ensure the strait is reopened.
She had opened the talks condemning the “reckless” Iranian attacks on shipping lanes that carry one-fifth of global oil exports.
Ms Cooper said that could include “working with the International Maritime Organisation to ensure that the first stranded ships can get moving again” as 20,000 seafarers remain trapped on almost 2,000 vessels.
She called on Washington to wrap up the conflict to limit the damage suffered around the world. “We want to see the conflict resolved, concluded, as rapidly as possible, because, frankly, that’s what’s best for the cost of living here in the UK,” she said.
“We’ve taken a different view from the US from early on and we didn’t get drawn into offensive action in the Middle East, because we thought that there were real concerns about escalation risks, impact – including on the economy – and also the need for a proper plan.”
The meeting also aimed at paving the way for a call on the same topic between Gulf states and the Group of Seven countries, a representative of the French Foreign Ministry said Thursday. This includes the US, which has not participated in the recent European-led calls.
The consensus from the UK meeting was that nations “from across the globe who played no part in this conflict” wanted the universal freedom of navigation restored because of the impact all countries were suffering. Immediate and unconditional reopening was the primary demand made on Iran.
“That’s affecting petrol prices and mortgage rates here in the UK, but also jet fuel across the world, fertiliser to Africa, and also gas to Asia," Ms Cooper said.
Four point plan
A chairman's statement set out points of agreement, including a pact to send "clear and co-ordinated messages to Iran to permit unimpeded transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Point two was to look at economic and political measures, such as sanctions, if the strait remains closed.
Next was agreement to work with the International Maritime Organisation to relief the plight of seafarers. Finally the participants agreed to work with maritime industry to increase the information exchange to boost confidence in using the strait.
The UK Ministry of Defence said that operational commanders would gather next week for talks on making shipping safe in the strait over the long term.
This is not expected to lead to a role for Royal Navy warships in policing the waterway but could include other remote operations as part of a coalition.
France, which has held its own meetings on the safe passage, said the process would be multi-phased and could not begin until hostilities had calmed or ended.
"It can only be done in consultation with Iran," French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to South Korea.
The International Maritime Organisation secretary general Arsenio Dominguez told the meeting that all sides must unite on the rights and freedoms of navigation, particularly to ensure the wellbeing of seafarers.
“Fragmented responses are no longer sufficient to resolve this crisis. What is urgently required is diplomatic engagement, practical and neutral solutions, and co-ordinated international action,” he said.
The IMO wants to release stranded vessels, enable safe crew rotations and uphold measures to prevent an environmental disaster.
Trump frustrations
In an address from the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump made clear his frustration with Europe, as a major beneficiary of Hormuz traffic that has refused to take part in the war against Iran. The US leader is unhappy the countries of Nato have not backed his war and he has refused to rule out quitting the alliance.
“The countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz strait must take care of that passage,” he said. “They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily.
“We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.
“So, to those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, we had to do it ourselves.”
Diplomacy first
Cathy Ashton, the former EU foreign affairs commissioner who negotiated a now defunct nuclear deal with Iran, described Ms Cooper's summit as a "fishing mission". She said it was unlikely to be a conversation about firm steps to take military action to open up the strait.
“It will not be focused on ‘Let's put the navy together, let’s go off and do something on a military basis directly'," she told a panel hosted by the European Leadership Network. "That doesn’t mean there won’t be conversations about military action.”
