More than 30 countries are meeting in London to find ways to keep the Strait of Hormuz, an international trade waterway, open and allow shipping to flow normally.
The two-day meeting, which is being held under the auspices of France and the UK, is set to begin on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The high-level meeting is expected to be attended by military planners, defense ministers and army officers from the participating countries.
Last week, more than a dozen countries said they were interested in joining an international mission led by Britain and France to keep shipping safe in the Strait of Hormuz, if conditions were right.
A separate Reuters report said that about 50 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East had expressed interest in joining a proposed international mission led by the UK and France on the Hormuz issue.
Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump has expressed his anger over the failure of European allies to “step up” in support of the US on the Iran war issue. He recently said that he no longer needs allies.
After making this statement on his social media account Truth Social, the UK and France last week organized an online video conference with about 50 countries. It was there that the decision was made to hold the meeting in London.
The meeting follows on from last week’s video conference, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
“The main aim of the two-day meeting is to translate diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and support a lasting ceasefire,” UK Defence Secretary John Healy said in a separate statement.
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has declined significantly since the start of the Iran-US war on February 28. This has led to a crisis in global energy supplies, and energy shortages have already occurred in various countries around the world.
