The UK will not be involved in enforcing the US military blockade of Iran, the BBC understands.
British naval ships and soldiers will not be used to block Iranian ports, while UK minesweepers and anti-drone capabilities will continue operating in the region.
A spokesperson for the UK government said: “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.”
The US announced the blockade after talks with Iran failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities in the Middle East, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged “de-escalation” in the region.
After US and Iran negotiators met in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, President Donald Trump said the US would start “BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz”.
The US Central Command (Centcom) later confirmed its forces would enforce the blockade “impartially” on vessels leaving and entering Iranian ports, including those located in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Centcom added that US forces would not impede the freedom of vessels transiting to and from non-Iranian ports, and that additional information would be provided to commercial mariners via a formal notice before the blockade starts.
Trump told Fox News that other countries would be involved in blockading the strait, but did not say which ones.
He added that Nato offered to help “clean out” the strait, adding that it would be free to use again “in not too long a distance”.
Trump said the US would bring in minesweepers, and that the UK – a member of Nato – would too.
“I understand the UK and a couple of other countries are sending minesweepers,” Trump said.
Around one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran effectively cutting off the waterway since US-Israeli strikes began on 28 February.
Sir Keir has repeatedly ruled out direct UK military involvement in the conflict.
Instead, the UK has repeatedly called for the Strait to be reopened as oil prices surge under Iran’s embargo.
Global benchmark Brent crude oil rose above $US100 following the blockade announcement.
In an earlier call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir underlined “the need work with a wide coalition of partners to protect freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz”.
“We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation,” a UK government spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that ships crossing through the Strait of Hormuz “must not be subject to tolling”, after reports emerged that Iran has started demanding $2m (£1.5m) in transit fees for tankers passing through the Strait.
While the UK was not involved in the US-Iran talks in Pakistan, Sir Keir warned against “further escalation” in the Middle East after two sides failed to reach an agreement.
Last week, Sir Keir visited four Gulf countries in what the prime minister billed as efforts to secure relations with allies in the region.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves plans to travel to Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting to advocate for re-opening the Hormuz shipping channel.
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