The UK will not participate in any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Guardian understands, after US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that the US would be blockading the waterway with assistance from Nato allies. Trump told Fox News that “it won’t take long to clean out the strait” and that “numerous countries are going to be helping us”, adding that the UK and other nations were sending minesweepers.
The UK has previously indicated it could play a role in making the Strait of Hormuz safe to pass, and it has mine-hunting systems and anti-drone capabilities already in the region. However, there have been concerns in Whitehall that complying with Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis. The UK’s willingness to consider a role in mine-removal operations is seen as distinct from Trump’s blockade proposal.
A government spokesperson said the UK would continue to “support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is urgently needed to support the global economy and the cost of living back home”. They added: “The Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolling. We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said talks were ongoing between allies in Europe, Gulf partners and the US to create a “credible, viable plan” for reopening the strait after Iran blocked traffic. Trump’s comments came hours after Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticised his rhetoric on Iran as “incendiary, provocative and outrageous”. Trump also repeated a jibe comparing Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, saying Starmer’s offer to send equipment after the war was a “Neville Chamberlain-type statement”.
Streeting acknowledged it had been a “difficult few months” for the UK-US relationship but said that on many issues their interests were intertwined. Chancellor Rachel Reeves warned that the war in Iran would “come at a cost to British families and businesses”, adding that her economic approach would be “responsive to a changing world and responsible in the national interest”.
