London (AFP) – A UK-led meeting of some 40 countries on the strait of Hormuz crisis wrapped up Thursday with a demand for the “immediate and unconditional” reopening of the vital shipping route, but no immediate breakthrough.
“Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz. They must not prevail,” British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said in a statement. “To that effect, partners today called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait and respect for the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and the law of the sea,” she added.
The strait has been virtually closed since the US-Israeli war against Iran started on February 28, impacting global supplies of important commodities including oil, liquid natural gas, and fertiliser. That has led to a sharp rise in energy prices. The foreign ministers and representatives who joined the call discussed a range of areas of “possible collective, coordinated action,” Cooper added. This could include increased diplomatic pressure, including through the UN, as well as possible sanctions, she said.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meanwhile called Thursday for the UN Security Council to authorise the use of force to protect the key waterway. Bahrain has proposed a draft resolution that would greenlight states to use “all necessary means” to assure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the measure has divided the 15-member Security Council, with Russia, China, and France — who each hold veto privileges — all voicing strong objections.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also, who joined the virtual talks, called for a “humanitarian corridor” for fertiliser and other essentials through the strait to avoid a food disaster in Africa. Cooper earlier slammed Iran’s “recklessness” over the strait as she kicked off the virtual meeting. She said Iran’s blockade of the waterway was “hitting our global economic security”.
Around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait in peacetime. A total of 37 countries have signed a statement, first published last month, expressing “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through” the shipping lane. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands are among those to have signed it. The United States, China, and most Middle Eastern countries have not, according to a list provided by the UK government.
– ‘Unrealistic’ – A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said securing the Strait of Hormuz could “only take place once the intense phase of the bombing is over.” French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on a visit to South Korea, said a military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz was “unrealistic”, while lamenting Trump’s differing daily statements on the Iran war and NATO.
“There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States,” Macron said. “I say sometimes because it has varied, it is never the option we have chosen and we consider it unrealistic,” he said.
The virtual meeting hosted by Britain came after Trump urged oil-importing nations to show “courage” and seize the narrow strait. “The countries of the world that … receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” Trump said in a prime-time address late Wednesday. “Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves,” he added. Trump has said he would consider a ceasefire only when Hormuz is “free and clear”.
Many countries have however insisted any operation to protect seafarers using the strait could only come after a ceasefire. “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,” Cooper told Thursday’s meeting.
The channel normally sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List. But since March 1, commodities carriers have made just 225 crossings, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, a 94-percent decrease on peacetime.
© 2024 AFP
