Six major international powers said Thursday they were ready “to contribute to” ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, though three stressed that any initiative would take place post-ceasefire.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands said Thursday 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”, as they condemned “in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf”.
But Italy, Germany and France made clear later Thursday that they were not talking about any immediate military help, but rather a potential multilateral initiative after a ceasefire.
The declaration came as an effective Iranian blockade of the strait has paralysed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
The war, which erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, has led Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region.
Twenty-three commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, have reported incidents or having been attacked.
The situation has left around 20,000 seafarers stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the strait, according to the International Maritime Organization.
“We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict,” the allies’ joint statement said.
“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 added.
“Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“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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