Work begins in London on an international mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
A meeting of military strategists from more than 30 countries is taking place in London on Wednesday and Thursday to develop a mission plan aimed at restoring maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by Sky News. The talks are taking place after a number of countries expressed their willingness to join an international defense initiative led by the United Kingdom and France aimed at protecting maritime routes in the region. British Defense Minister John Healey stated that the main goal of the meeting is to turn diplomatic agreements into a concrete joint action plan. “The task for today and tomorrow is to turn diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait and support a lasting ceasefire. I am confident that real progress can be made over the next two days,” he said. According to him, discussions will also cover issues of military command, force deployment, and possible formats for the presence of international units in the region. The United Kingdom notes that the mission’s next steps will depend on the stabilization of the situation and a possible long-term ceasefire. As a reminder, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously announced the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the designation of violating vessels as military targets. Tehran explains this decision by the United States’ failure to comply with the terms of the ceasefire and the continuation of the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran has again restricted ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict with the U.S. Tehran claims this is a response to Washington’s actions. Trump stated that the U.S. wants to obtain Iranian uranium by any means necessary.
