Iran: 'Viable plan' set to reopen Strait of Hormuz as Starmer says Royal Navy won’t be drawn into "wider war"
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The prime minister said he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz which is currently being blockaded by Iran.
Sir Keir Starmer resisted Donald Trump’s demands to send Royal Navy warships to help secure the vital shipping route for oil and gas which has been effectively closed to tankers by the Iran war. He said the UK was working with countries, including European allies, on a “viable plan” to ease the crisis, which has driven up global oil prices.
In an address to the nation this morning (March 16), Sir Keir said the UK will continue to “protect our people in the region”, take the necessary action to defend the country and wider allies without getting involved in the conflict, and work on a resolution to bring stability back to the Middle East. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restoring the freedom of navigation for merchant ships is a priority.
“We will not be drawn into the wider war,” he added. “I want to see an end to this war as quickly as possible. The longer it goes on, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and the worse it is for the cost of living at home. We continue around the clock to help our people in the Middle East.
“It’s clear the US operation has massively weakened the military capability of the abhorrent regime in Iran. The question is what comes next? When the fighting stops, we’re going to need some sort of negotiated agreement to constrain the threat posed by Iran, to limit their ability to rebuild their nuclear programme and their ballistic missile threat which arms their proxy militias.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged the impact of rising oil and gas prices on households in the UK. He announced that the government has issued a “legal direction” to energy companies to pass on savings from policies already announced. A £53m package of support was announced for “vulnerable” heating oil customers, focused on “those households that are most exposed”. England will receive £27m, to support heating oil customers, which will be distributed by local authorities.
Sir Keir raised concerns about claims that suppliers of heating oil have cancelled orders and then hiked bills as prices have spiked. “I simply will not allow companies to make huge profits from the hardship of working people,” he said. “That kind of conduct is completely unacceptable, so if the companies have broken the law, there will be legal action,” he added.
Roughly 20 per cent of the world's oil usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Following US-Israeli missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure, Tehran has been attacking cargo tankers near the waterway and destroying refineries belonging to the nearby Gulf states.
The US President called for British and allied ships to be deployed to the region, after previously stating America didn’t need Royal Navy support. Mr Trump warned the future of Nato could be at stake unless allies agreed to his demand to provide vessels. He said Nato faces a “very bad” future should its member states fail to help, adding: “We’ll see if they help us, because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them but they won’t be there for us.”
Sir Keir said he had discussed the issue with countries in the Gulf and Europe as well as Mr Trump. He said: “It’ll have to be something which is agreed by as many partners as possible, is my strong view. We’re not at that stage yet, but we are working hard. We need to look at the options. We’ve already got autonomous mine-hunting systems in the region, and we’re currently having those discussions with our partners and allies.”