Britain to call for toll-free Strait of Hormuz, says Lebanon must be part of Iran ceasefire
#Strait of Hormuz#Yvette Cooper#Iran ceasefire#maritime tolls#oil chokepoint#UK foreign policy#Lebanon#energy security
📌 Key Takeaways
UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper will demand toll-free, unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz.
The speech directly counters Iran's plan to charge shipping firms for passage through the critical oil chokepoint.
Cooper will also insist that Lebanon be included in the recent US-Iran ceasefire agreement.
The UK government links regional security in the Middle East to domestic economic stability, citing rising costs.
The diplomatic push coincides with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's talks with Gulf nations to uphold the ceasefire.
📖 Full Retelling
UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper will call for unhindered, toll-free shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz in a major foreign policy speech in London on Thursday, directly countering Iran's recent push to control and charge for passage through the critical oil chokepoint. The speech, to be delivered at Mansion House, is expected to frame the issue as a defense of fundamental maritime freedoms and a necessary step to ease global economic pressures stemming from the Middle East crisis.
Cooper's address comes in response to Iran's stated intention to charge shipping firms, potentially in cryptocurrency, for their oil tankers to pass through the narrow waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. The Strait has been effectively blocked by Iran since the start of the recent conflict, threatening the roughly 20% of global oil and gas that typically transits the corridor. The Foreign Minister will argue that international waterways cannot be unilaterally controlled or monetized by individual states, positioning Britain as a defender of established maritime law and global energy security.
In a broader diplomatic push, Cooper is also set to demand that Lebanon be formally included in the two-week ceasefire agreement recently brokered between the United States and Iran. While welcoming the ceasefire as a vital step for regional stability, she will stress that the deal's success depends on preventing a return to conflict, halting threats from Iran to its neighbors, and crucially, fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Her speech will explicitly link regional security to economic well-being in Britain, citing rising mortgage rates, fuel prices, and food costs as direct consequences of the Middle East crisis.
This foreign policy outline coincides with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's diplomatic talks with Gulf states aimed at supporting the fragile ceasefire. The twin-track approach underscores the new government's focus on using diplomatic channels to secure both regional de-escalation and the free flow of commerce, viewing the two as inextricably linked for global economic recovery.
The diplomatic foreign relations of the United Kingdom are conducted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, headed by the foreign secretary. The prime minister and numerous other agencies play a role in setting policy, and many institutions and businesses have a voice and a role.
The U...
Yvette Cooper (born 20 March 1969) is a British politician who has served as Foreign Secretary since September 2025, having previously served as Home Secretary from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour Party, Cooper has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, previ...
Lebanon, officially the Lebanese Republic, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west; Cyprus lies a short d...
Strait between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf
The Strait of Hormuz ( Persian: تنگهٔ هُرمُز Tangeh-ye Hormoz , Arabic: مَضيق هُرمُز Maḍīq Hurmuz) is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. ...
U.K. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper is expected to call for unhindered access through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, countering a push by Iran to control one of the world's most important oil chokepoints. In an annual foreign policy speech, Cooper is expected to say shipping must be toll-free through the Strait of Hormuz , which has effectively been blocked by Iran since the start of the war. "The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual s. Nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway," Cooper will say at Mansion House in London later this evening, according to advance extracts of her speech. Iran has said it wants to charge ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with the Financial Times reporting on Wednesday that Tehran is planning to charge shipping firms in cryptocurrency for their oil tankers to pass through the waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime corridor that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Roughly 20% of global oil and gas typically passes through the Strait. Britain's Cooper is also expected to push for Lebanon to be included in the two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran on Tuesday. "The ceasefire agreement between the US, Israel and Iran is welcome. It is a vital step towards bringing security and stability to the region, and to easing the pressures on the global economy and the cost of living here at home," Cooper will say. "There is considerable work to do, and we support the negotiations: they must make progress; there must be no return to conflict; Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire; there must be no further threat from Iran to its neighbors; and crucially the Strait of Hormuz must be fully reopened." Read more Trump wants Hormuz Strait open 'without limitation, including tolls' during ceasefire: White House CNBC's UK Exchange newsletter: Brace yourself for rising bills as new tax year kicks off Europe stocks rebound to ...
