Britain Not to Participate in US Hormuz Blockade

(MENAFN) Britain has ruled out participation in a US-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, British media reported Sunday, putting London at odds with Washington over how to handle the mounting crisis with Iran.

The announcement follows US President Donald Trump's declaration that the US Navy would begin intercepting vessels attempting to transit the Strait after weekend peace negotiations with Tehran broke down without a deal.

A British government spokesperson pushed back firmly on any blockade role, telling media: "We 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."

Rather than joining the blockade, London signaled it was assembling an alternative multilateral response. "We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation," the spokesperson added.

The distancing came even as Trump told a news channel that "numerous countries are going to be helping us" with the Strait, claiming Britain and allied nations were dispatching minesweepers to the region — a characterization that appeared to conflict with London's stated position.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said jointly called on both Washington and Tehran to "find a way through" during a phone call Sunday. The two leaders, discussing the weekend's stalled US-Iran negotiations, agreed that preserving the ceasefire was essential and that all parties must step back from further escalation, according to a Downing Street readout.

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