More than 12 countries are ready to secure Hormuz

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Friday that “more than a dozen countries” have offered to contribute to a “peaceful and defensive” multinational mission led by London and Paris to secure the Strait of Hormuz, to be deployed “as soon as conditions are ready.”

He added, in a statement issued after a summit in Paris that brought together about 30 countries in person and via video, that work will continue on “military planning” for this force, pointing to a meeting that will be held in London next week, “during which we will announce more details about its composition.”

Starmer called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened “without tolls and without restrictions.”

In a statement he made alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he said: “This reinforces the need for the work we did this afternoon in Paris.”

He stressed that “this mission is peaceful and purely defensive, and aims to reassure commercial navigation and support mine clearance,” adding that “more than a dozen countries have already offered to contribute assets.”

For his part, Macron welcomed Iran’s announcement to reopen the Strait for the remainder of the ceasefire period, but stressed that the participants called for “its complete and unconditional reopening by all parties.”

He said, “The military security mission proposed by these countries is more legitimate, because it will give them the possibility of continuing in the long term.”

Meloni expressed her country’s readiness to participate in the mission, stressing that its deployment should only take place after “the cessation of hostilities.”

In turn, Mertz considered the participation of the United States in the possible international mission “desirable,” stressing that Germany “will participate in military planning discussions,” with the possibility of its later contribution to mine clearance operations and maritime reconnaissance, provided that a “solid legal basis” is available, such as a UN Security Council resolution.