With the Strait of Hormuz, a global crude oil shipping lane, sealed amid Middle East turmoil, Britain has moved to lead a multinational coalition to reopen the strait. Rather than jumping straight into combat, the aim is to sketch out a blueprint for a multinational military operation that would begin with clearing mines and proceed to escorting merchant ships, assuming hostilities subside.
On the 25th, according to a roundup of major outlets including The Times in the U.K. and Reuters, the Royal Navy is discussing forming a multinational coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The operational concept is divided broadly into two phases. First, deploy autonomous mine-detection and removal drones to clear mines laid by Iran, then use manned and unmanned vessels to escort merchant ships.
Britain is even considering using Royal Navy ships or auxiliary vessels as motherships to command autonomous unmanned systems. Depending on the situation, deploying destroyers is not being ruled out. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey told Reuters that "some of Britain's autonomous counter-mine equipment has already been deployed to Middle Eastern waters."
Britain, with Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Sir Richard Nugee as chair, recently discussed the operation with the defense leadership of key allies such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada. Expanding participation to as many as about 30 countries is also being discussed.
Experts, however, said this move does not mean immediate military intervention. The operation is closer to preparatory work for the period after the current escalatory phase of clashes has somewhat calmed. Major European countries also remain cautious about full-scale troop deployments or armed intervention. French President Emmanuel Macron drew a clear line at a Cabinet meeting, saying, "We are not a party to the conflict, and therefore we will never take part in an operation to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz in the current situation."
Britain, meanwhile, has reached a consensus with the United States that swiftly normalizing traffic through the strait is a priority to secure raw material shipments. Inside the U.K., sentiment on involvement in the Middle East situation shifted after Iran fired long-range missiles toward the U.S.-U.K. joint base on British Diego Garcia. With a range of about 4,000 kilometers, the attack proved that the Middle East conflict can threaten Britain's rear-area military bases. Although it failed to directly strike the base, it strengthened the perception among Britons that the Middle East war is no longer just a distant regional conflict.
According to the prime minister's office, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump recently held a phone call. The two leaders agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is essential to ensuring stability in the global energy market. As this is a key chokepoint for global crude oil shipments, the assessment is that they confirmed their intent to preempt the economic damage that a prolonged closure would cause. According to The Times, U.K. military planners have been sent to Florida, where the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is located, to directly support the development of the strait reopening plan.
Facing full-fledged pressure from a Western security alliance–led multinational coalition for complete reopening, Iran moved to hold onto the initiative by advancing a conditional-passage argument. In an official document sent on the 22nd to the U.N. Security Council and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Iranian Foreign Ministry argued that "as long as they do not participate in or support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with declared safety and security regulations, non-hostile state vessels can pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the relevant authorities."
Unlike the demand for full freedom of navigation led by the multinational coalition, Iran attached conditions that safety would be guaranteed only after its approval and control, which is seen as a clear intention to maintain its grip on control of the strait.