The UK called 35 countries to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. Guess who wasn't invited?

[Text / Observer Network Zhang Jingjuan] In the face of the navigation predicament in the Strait of Hormuz, the rift between the UK and the US is getting wider and wider.

According to a report by the UK’s The Guardian on April 1, the UK will convene 35 countries to jointly discuss plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the list of invitees does not include the United States.

The day before (March 31), UK Prime Minister Starmer said this meeting would “assess all feasible diplomatic and political means to restore freedom of navigation, ensure the safety of trapped ships and crews, and restart the transportation of vital supplies.” After the meeting, UK military planners will “study how to coordinate the forces of all parties to ensure that the strait remains open and secure after the fighting ends.”

However, he had previously acknowledged that the task of clearing sea lanes after the conflict would take a long time.

“I must be candid: this is by no means easy. Industry figures have clearly told me that their top challenge is not an insurance issue, but rather securing navigation safety. Therefore, we must coordinate from multiple sides, build a unified front through military strength and diplomatic actions, and work with the industry so that, even after a ceasefire, they can act swiftly,” Starmer said.

He emphasized that since the outbreak of the conflict, the UK’s actions have always been oriented toward its own national interests, and that freedom of navigation in the Middle East concerns the UK’s core national interests.

The UK side said this will be the first meeting convened by the relevant countries to discuss workable plans for restarting navigation through the strait. The countries attending include France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UAE, and Nigeria, among others.

On April 1, 2026, local time, in London, UK, Prime Minister Starmer held a press conference on Downing Street. IC photo

The exclusion of the US is not an accident. Previously, US President Trump had already made harsh remarks, claiming that if the US stopped its attacks on Iran, responsibility for ensuring the safety of the strait should be borne by other countries, and he also publicly criticized European countries for not providing enough support for the US’s actions.

However, although the UK was not directly invited, the UK Ministry of Defense has dispatched military planners to the US Central Command to study plans to ensure that oil tankers can pass through the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz has long handled transport volumes corresponding to about one-fifth of global oil consumption, and it is also an important bottleneck in global liquefied natural gas trade. Currently, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has left about 1,000 ships stranded. Since the conflict broke out, only about 130 ships have passed through; this number is only equivalent to the daily traffic in normal times.

On April 1, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran issued a statement via national television saying that the Strait of Hormuz will continue to be closed to the enemy.

On the same day, Trump posted on a social media platform, saying there will be no ceasefire unless Iran gives up control of the Strait of Hormuz. “We have to wait until the Strait of Hormuz is reopened and the route is clear before we consider (a ceasefire). Until then, we will blow Iran into rubble—or, in their words, blow them back to the Stone Age.”

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