President Donald Trump has suffered a significant diplomatic setback after Keir Starmer refused to support his proposed naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.
The US president announced the blockade after peace talks between the United States and Iran collapsed in Pakistan.
Trump said the US Navy would stop all ships trying to enter or leave the strait. He wrote on his Truth Social platform that the US Navy would start “blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz”. He added, without giving details: “Other countries will be involved with this blockade.”
Downing Street stated that Britain will not take part in enforcing the blockade. The UK government said it is “urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation”.
Britain has mine-hunting systems in the region that could clear naval mines laid by Iran, Starmer said.
Trump Announces Action After Talks Fail
The peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement. US Vice-President JD Vance took part in 21 hours of negotiations but returned to Washington without a deal. The two sides had no plans for further talks.
Also Read: Trump’s Major Achievements in the Iran War as Ceasefire Collapse
Trump made the announcement while speaking with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a UFC event in Miami. He later criticised Starmer on Fox News. Trump said:
“Nato is shameful. I mean, look at the United Kingdom … PM Starmer said ‘we’ll send the equipment after the war is over’. I said ‘you don’t need equipment when the war is over. You need the equipment before the war starts, or during the war’ He made a public statement that ‘we will send equipment after the war is over’, that’s a Neville Chamberlain statement.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said any military ships approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be “dealt with strongly” and would be considered a breach of any ceasefire.
Britain Seeks Coalition Instead
The UK government has ruled out joining the US-led blockade. Starmer has instead directed British efforts toward building a wider international group focused on keeping the waterway open.
Also Read: Iran Mulls Over Plans to Seize and Sell Ships Belonging to Select Nations
The collapse of the talks and the announced blockade have raised immediate concerns about the movement of oil tankers through the strait. Iran has laid naval mines in parts of the waterway, and any attempt to enforce a full blockade risks direct clashes between US naval forces and Iranian vessels.
Shipping companies have already begun rerouting some vessels away from the area, while both the US and Iran have increased their military presence near the passage.
Why this matters
The Strait of Hormuz is the main route for oil and gas tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. A blockade would stop ships from moving through the narrow passage that links major oil producers to world markets.
The UK decision leaves Trump without support from one of America’s closest allies at a time when he has promised other countries would join the operation. Britain’s refusal makes it harder for the US to present the blockade as a joint international effort.
