UK will not back blockade of Strait of Hormuz, PM Starmer says

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain ​would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in ‌a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’re not supporting the blockade,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened.

“It is, in my view, vital that ​we get the Strait open and fully open, and that’s where we’ve put ​all of our efforts in the last few weeks and we’ll ⁠continue to do so,” Starmer said.

Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and ​while he could not discuss operational matters, the military capability was “focused from our point ​of view on getting the Strait fully open”.

Starmer said Britain was facing pressure to join the war, but he would not do so unless there was a “clear lawful basis” and a “clear thought-through plan”.

“My ​decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there’s been some considerable ​pressure, we’re not getting dragged into the war,” he said.

The U.S. military said it would begin a blockade ‌of ⁠all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.

The U.S. Central Command said that the U.S. blockade, starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday (1400 GMT), ​would be “enforced impartially against ​vessels of all ⁠nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.”

Vessels transiting ​the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will ​not be ⁠impeded, the U.S. military said.

President Donald Trump said on Sunday U.S. forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

“No one who pays ⁠an illegal ​toll will have safe passage on the high ​seas,” Trump wrote on social media, adding: “Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be ​BLOWN TO HELL!”