“We have foreign ministers and representatives from more than 40 countries gathered today to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, the consequences of its closure, the urgent need to restore freedom of navigation for international maritime transport, and our resolute international determination to see the strait reopen,” declared the British Foreign Minister, who is presiding over this meeting on Thursday, April 2.
A remote meeting without the United States, without Israel, and of course without Iran, it is rather the countries that are not involved in the war but are feeling its effects. Europeans, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, as well as Japan, South Korea… About forty foreign ministers online, at the invitation of their British counterpart Yvette Cooper, who denounces at the beginning of the meeting a hostage-taking of the world economy by Iran.
“This disrupts commercial routes and deprives Asia of liquefied natural gas, Africa of fertilizers, and the world of kerosene,” she said. “This Iranian irresponsibility towards countries that have never been involved in this conflict not only affects gasoline prices and the cost of living, but also threatens global economic security.”
But according to the British minister, now is not the time for military measures, unlike what Donald Trump demands: priority should be given to diplomatic and political tools, she says, aligning with the position of Emmanuel Macron. A military operation would be unrealistic according to the French president, nothing is possible without a mandate from the UN, warns Antonio Tajani, the Italian Foreign Minister. These 40 countries must meet next week at the military level to explore how to demine the Strait of Hormuz once peace is restored.
