UK 35-Nation Summit: Plan to Reopen Strait of Hormuz 2026

Published: 2 April 2026 . The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online—Providing definitive analysis of global diplomacy and the shifting tides of international trade.

As the global energy crisis deepens, the United Kingdom has taken the lead in an ambitious diplomatic effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is hosting a virtual summit today, 2 April 2026, bringing together representatives from 35 nations—including France, Germany, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates—to forge a “united front” capable of restoring freedom of navigation through the world’s most vital maritime chokepoint. Notably absent from the guest list is the United States, following President Donald Trump’s recent assertions that policing the waterway is “not America’s job.“

The summit comes at a moment of extreme volatility. In a national address on Wednesday evening, President Trump suggested that while he aims to “wind down” the conflict with Iran within weeks, he also intends to “hit them extremely hard” in the interim. He pointedly told allies they should “build up some delayed courage” and secure the Strait themselves if they require the oil. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, responding to this shift in Washington, emphasized that the UK-led talks will focus on “all viable diplomatic and political measures” to resume the movement of vital commodities, stressing that “this is not our war,” but its economic fallout is a burden the international community must address collectively.

The 35-nation coalition is exploring a multi-layered strategy to bypass the current military stalemate. Beyond the immediate diplomatic pressure on Tehran, the group is tasking military planners with designing a post-conflict security framework. This could include a coordinated international naval presence—operating outside the NATO umbrella—to provide escorts for commercial tankers and conduct mine-clearing operations. However, the Prime Minister has been careful to manage expectations, leveling with the public that reopening the passage “will not be easy” given Iran’s current selective access policy, which allows only “friendly” vessels to pass while remaining closed to “enemies of the Iranian people.“

The urgency of the talks is underscored by the staggering scale of the disruption. The International Energy Agency has now officially labeled the Hormuz closure as “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” Beyond petroleum, the blockage has paralyzed roughly a third of the world’s seaborne methanol trade and critical supplies of aluminum and graphite, threatening to derail the global green energy transition. In South Asia, the impact is already acute; South Korea reported today that it has been forced to secure 50 million barrels of alternative oil from as far as Kazakhstan and the Americas to cover the April shortfall.

As Foreign Secretary Cooper chairs the midday discussions in London, the eyes of the global markets are fixed on the potential for a “European-led” security solution. With the US pivoting toward energy independence and isolationism, the UK’s attempt to marshal a 35-state “moot” represents a historic test of whether middle powers can maintain the rules-based international order without American leadership. The summit’s findings are expected to form the basis of a new UN Security Council resolution, as the coalition seeks a formal mandate to protect the lifeblood of the global economy.

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