Starmer Suggests Military Options Might be Needed To Secure Passage in Strait of Hormuz

Offering a vague insight into next steps for the Strait of Hormuz, Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, says he is working with President Trump on a “practical plan” to secure ship navigation that could include military options.Shortly before his departure to Qatar Friday, where he stayed just a few hours, Mr. Starmer said he spoke to the American president a day earlier about the need for free and unhindered passage through the strait and the role the United Kingdom is playing.“This conflict is going to define us for a generation and we must respond and we will respond with strength,” Mr. Starmer later said at Doha, the first stop of a three-day trip to the Persian Gulf region to meet allies. Mr. Starmer’s talk of using “military capabilities” in the strait, which he did not define, could be seen as an evolutionary position for a government that has thus far been critical of the war. Mr. Starmer initially refused Britain’s participation in the war, then limited any military assistance to defensive operations against drone and missile attacks directed at regional allies. Again relenting, he then allowed America to land bombers at Britain’s Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean after Iran targeted ships in the strait.The call with Mr. Trump came the same day Mr. Starmer took a swipe at the American president in an interview with ITV in which he lumped him in with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, for the spike in energy prices.“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump,” Mr. Starmer said.Mr. Starmer said the conflicts between the United States and Iran and Russia and Ukraine demonstrate why the United Kingdom needs energy independence. The statement elicited a sharp retort from the chairman of the Conservative Party, Kevin Hollinrake, who blamed the Labour Party for skyrocketing energy prices.“Keir Starmer says he wants resilience and energy security. So why is he banning North Sea drilling and ducking welfare reform?” Mr. Hollinrake asked. “You cannot build a resilient economy by turning your back on British oil and gas workers, handing energy dependence to foreign states, and leaving millions trapped on benefits rather than in work.”An estimated three billion barrels of oil lie under the North Sea ready for extraction, according to the country’s regulator, the North Sea Transition Authority. The Labour government has banned new licenses to drill for oil and gas in the sea.In her annual address to the city of London Thursday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also rebuked Mr. Trump, and said the decision not to provide support for the initial strikes or to get drawn into offensive action was in the best interests of Britain.“No matter what the pressure from other parties or other countries, we do not believe it is right to outsource our foreign policy to anyone,” Ms. Cooper said.The comments by Mr. Starmer and Ms. Cooper could increase the strain on the relationship with Mr. Trump. He has complained that Britain and other NATO allies have not done enough to help during the Iran conflict. Mr. Trump repeated threats to leave NATO this week after Wednesday’s meeting at the White House with the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte.Britain initially refused to let the American military use its bases for offensive strikes on Iran. Other NATO countries continue to deny American access. Spain, which refuses American flights over its airspace, claims the war on Iran is illegal and against international law. Italy denied use of bases toAmerican bombers, citing agreements that allow only defensive operations unless the Italian parliament approves.

Starmer Suggests Military Options Might be Needed To Secure Passage in Strait of Hormuz

Starmer Suggests Military Options Might be Needed To Secure Passage in Strait of Hormuz

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