The U.K. and France hosted military planners from more than 30 nations on Wednesday for discussions of a detailed plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the valuable shipping lane that Iran has closed for over a month.
The talks in London aim to parlay the intense diplomatic discussions and agreements spearheaded by the U.K. over the past month into a concrete, military plan to facilitate the safe passage of commercial ships through the strait once hostilities between Iran and the U.S. have ended.
The negotiations build on the apparent progress made last week at a Paris summit, attended by 51 nations. The countries called for an “unconditional, unrestricted and immediate” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to establish an international defense mission which would escort commercial ships.
The waterway has been effectively closed for more than a month, with international shipping companies wary of sending vessels through the channel over fears of Iranian drone and missile attacks. At least 20% of the world’s oil travels through the waterway each year, and its closure has put significant pressure on global energy markets.
In Europe, especially, where countries have worked to wean themselves off of Russian oil, the strait’s closure has hit hard.
While international leaders were optimistic following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, traffic through the strait remained at a near standstill after the agreement took effect.
Commercial traffic has been further affected by recent developments, with Iran and the U.S. instituting rival blockades. The U.S. Navy launched a blockade of all Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf. Iran has retaliated by re-closing the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy seized at least two ships on Wednesday that attempted to traverse the strait “without the necessary permits,” Iranian state-affiliated media reported. Guard forces also reportedly fired upon a Greek-owned vessel, though it’s not clear if it was seized.
The U.S. has also seized two Iranian-linked ships this week, one on Sunday and another on Tuesday. Both ships were reportedly carrying Iranian oil and one was intercepted in the Indo-Pacific region.
