A plan to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz “as quickly as possible” was discussed on Thursday between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump.
Starmer informed Trump of the UK’s efforts to convene partners to agree on a “viable plan” to restore free navigation in the waterway, a critical route for global trade.
“They agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the Strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution,” Downing Street said in a statement.
“The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible,” it said, adding that Trump and Starmer would speak again soon.
In separate meetings with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Starmer discussed the need to push for the reopening of the Strait and to restore the free flow of goods to support global supply chains.
Reopening of Strait critical in ceasefire deal
The Strait has been closed since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran late February, and has been a point of contention during ceasefire talks.
Trump had said on his announcement of the ceasefire on Wednesday that a suspension of US strikes on Iran would be “subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, AND SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The US president then warned in a post on Truth Social on Thursday that oil will start flowing “with or without the help of Iran,” adding that it doesn’t make a difference to him whether or not Tehran is involved.
In another post on Truth Social, Trump threatened Iran to stop charging fees to tankers passing through the Strait. “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he said in the post.
Trump also accused Iran of doing a “very poor job, dishonorable some would say,” of allowing oil to pass through the Strait.
“That is not the agreement we have!” he added.
Prior to the ceasefire, the UK had hosted talks with a coalition of 35 countries, including France, Germany, and the UAE, to reopen the Strait. The US abstained from the talks after Trump said in a national address that it was a problem for other nations to resolve.
Earlier, Trump had told aides that he was willing to end his military campaign against Iran even if the Strait remained closed, saying it could be reopened at a later date
