Six major international powers have declared they are ready to contribute to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though three of them made clear that any such action would only take place after a ceasefire. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands issued a joint statement on Thursday saying they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz".
The grouping said they "welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning", while condemning "in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf". The declaration came as Iran's effective blockade of the strait has paralysed commercial shipping through the critical maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
Despite the joint declaration, Italy, Germany and France moved quickly to clarify that they were not committing to any immediate military action. Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the statement should not be seen as a "war mission". "No entry into Hormuz without a truce and a comprehensive multilateral initiative", for which "it is right and appropriate for the United Nations to provide the legal framework", he said.
In Berlin, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said any German military involvement "would depend on the situation after a ceasefire... and whether we could participate within the framework of an international mandate". He added that any such involvement would also require approval by the German parliament.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France planned to sound out permanent members of the UN Security Council on the possibility of establishing a UN framework for future plans to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but only once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended. "We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he said in Brussels following a European summit on Thursday.
A UK defence official said the level of threat in the strait was such that few nations would be willing to send warships into it right now. Britain has, however, sent a small number of additional military planners to US Central Command to assist with planning for whatever comes next in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has urged other world powers and NATO to help reopen the strait to commercial shipping. So far, all have rebuffed his call for immediate action, while signalling openness to discussions and planning for the period after a ceasefire.
The joint statement condemned Iran's attacks in the strongest terms. "We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping," it said. The allies also invoked international law: "Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."
The human cost of the blockade is significant. Twenty-three commercial vessels, including ten tankers, have reported incidents or having been attacked. Around 20,000 seafarers are stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the strait, according to the International Maritime Organization. The statement warned that "the effects of Iran's actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable."
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