British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during a news conference on the situation in the Middle East, at Downing Street in London, England, Wednesday. Pool Photo by Betty Laura Zapata/EPA
April 1 (UPI) — Britain will host a virtual summit Thursday to find ways to open the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump told allies to “get your own oil.”
Because of the war, Iran blocked the strait, through which much of the world’s oil and gas travels.
The summit will include about 35 countries, several of which signed a joint statement on March 19 condemning Iran for closing the strait, along with several more who have since joined.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the Thursday meeting is to “assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.”
Starmer said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and other international leaders will lead the summit.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
Starmer said that after the meeting, British military planners would gather “to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped.”
On Monday, Starmer gathered energy and shipping leaders at Downing Street to discuss the situation at the strait.
“I do have to level with people on this, this will not be easy,” The Guardian reported he said.
“They were clear with me, the primary challenge they face is not one of insurance, but one of safety and security of passage. So, the fact is, we need all of this together — a united front of military strength and diplomatic activity, partnership with industry, so they too can mobilize once the fighting has stopped and, above all, clear and calm leadership. That is what this country is ready to provide.
“Because my guide from the start of this conflict has always been the British national interest. And freedom of navigation in the Middle East is in the British national interest.”
The countries that have signed the joint statement are: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Trinidad & Tobago, Croatia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Panama, North Macedonia, Nigeria, Montenegro, Albania, Marshall Islands, Chile and Moldova.
The statement commits the countries to a “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.”
Children race to push colored eggs across the grass during the annual Easter Egg Roll event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on April 21, 2025. Easter this year takes place on April 5. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo
