France and the United Kingdom are preparing to host a joint conference that will bring together more than 40 countries to address the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The meeting, scheduled for Friday in Paris, will take place via videoconference and aims to establish a multilateral and defensive mission to restore freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the initiative in a post on X, stating that the conference will involve non-belligerent nations willing to contribute to a purely defensive mission. He emphasised that the effort is designed to reopen the strait once security conditions allow, ensuring that global shipping can resume without restrictions.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also highlighted the importance of the summit, noting that over 40 nations had been convened to advance work on a coordinated plan. He stressed that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is severely damaging, with global shipping disruption fuelling cost-of-living pressures. 

The UK and France intend to lead efforts towards an independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping once the conflict subsides.

Macron further revealed that he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, urging both sides to resume negotiations, clarify misunderstandings, and avoid further escalation.

He underlined the necessity of respecting the ceasefire, including in Lebanon, and insisted that the strait must be reopened unconditionally, without controls or tolls, to enable negotiations to restart swiftly with the backing of key stakeholders.

These developments follow faltering peace talks in Pakistan, where a marathon 21-hour negotiation between Washington and Tehran failed to produce a breakthrough. The Franco-British proposal is now seen as a potential means of breaking the Islamabad deadlock.

The situation has been exacerbated by US-Israeli strikes against Iran, which began on 28 February and have triggered repercussions across West Asia and the Gulf region. The Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments passed before the conflict, has become a flashpoint, with its closure driving up energy prices worldwide.

The Paris conference represents a significant attempt to rally international consensus around restoring freedom of navigation in the strait, a step viewed as essential for stabilising global trade and easing economic pressures.

ANI