Keir Starmer says Britain ‘will not be drawn into the wider war’ in Gulf.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press<\/p>\n
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain is working with allies on a viable plan to open the Strait of Hormuz, but he offered few specifics and no timetable for when any collective action might take place.<\/p>\n
Mr. Starmer was responding to warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump who said on Sunday that if NATO allies didn\u2019t help open the strait, \u201cit will be very bad for the future of NATO.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a press conference on Monday, Mr. Starmer said no decision had been made about whether Britain would join an effort to patrol the strait, and he made it clear that it would not be a NATO mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a discussion. We\u2019re not at the point of decisions yet. It\u2019s obviously a difficult question, that goes without saying, in relation to how you safeguard maritime traffic,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
He added that any collective action must be credible, viable and involve as many countries as possible. \u201cLet me be clear, that won\u2019t be, and it\u2019s never been envisioned to be, a NATO mission. That will have to be an alliance of partners which is why we\u2019re working with partners both in Europe, in the Gulf, and with the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump calls on countries to help secure Strait of Hormuz as energy crisis fears escalate<\/a><\/p>\n He added that Britain has autonomous mine hunting systems in the Gulf region and it could deploy anti-drone systems. But he insisted that the U.K. \u201cwill not be drawn into the wider war.\u201d<\/p>\n Repeated air strikes by U.S. and Israeli jets have crippled the Iranian military, but Iran has managed to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz by attacking oil tankers. Roughly 20 per cent of the world\u2019s oil passes through the narrow waterway. Since the war started, the price of oil has soared 45 per cent to more than US$100 a barrel. <\/p>\n Mr. Trump has expressed frustration that NATO allies and others have not offered to help the U.S. reopen the strait by sending warships, minesweepers and troops. He has demanded that seven countries take part in a coalition, without naming them. He has previously called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the U.K. to join.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there. If there\u2019s no response or if it\u2019s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,\u201d Mr. Trump told the Financial Times.<\/p>\n His call has been met with little action so far. <\/p>\n Trump said on Sunday his administration is talking to seven countries about helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Reuters<\/p>\n France\u2019s foreign ministry said on Sunday that its naval mission remains in the Eastern Mediterranean, and any deployment will only be for defensive purposes. The European Union\u2019s foreign policy representative, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday that member states will discuss what actions they can take. \u201cIt is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,\u201d she told reporters in Brussels. <\/p>\n Germany\u2019s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius rejected Mr. Trump\u2019s demands. \u201cWhat does Trump expect a handful of European frigates to do that the powerful U.S. navy cannot? This is not our war, and we did not start it,\u201d Mr. Pistorius wrote on X. <\/p>\n Italy\u2019s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country supports reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea. \u201cHowever, I don\u2019t think these missions can be expanded to include the Strait of Hormuz, especially since they are anti-piracy and defensive missions,\u201d he told reporters in Brussels. <\/p>\n Mr. Trump has singled out Britain for particular scorn. \u201cThe U.K. might be considered the number one ally, the longest serving et cetera and when I asked for them to come, they didn\u2019t want to come,\u201d he said on Sunday. <\/p>\n