The United Kingdom and a group of international partners have signalled readiness to take action to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, following a joint statement condemning recent Iranian activity in the region.
Leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada criticised attacks on commercial vessels and infrastructure, as well as efforts to restrict access to one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.
“We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” the statement said.
The group warned that continued disruption to shipping and energy flows would have global consequences, particularly for vulnerable economies.
“The effects of Iran’s actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable,” the leaders said.
They called for an immediate halt to attacks and interference with commercial traffic, including the laying of mines and the use of drones and missiles targeting maritime activity. “Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law,” the statement added, referencing obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Alongside condemnation, the statement signalled that participating nations are preparing potential responses to ensure safe passage through the Strait. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” it said.
Maybe condemn the halfwit who started this latest spasm of *uckwittery as well?
He is going to have to be cut off at the knees in the mid terms or the whole World will be in collapse in another 3 years of this. Amazing what one protected paeodophile can set in motion when so many are willing to turn a blind eye…. If not actually actively involved.
What a sh-t sh-w the buffoon in the Whire House and his attack dog at the Pentagon have got us all into. When Iran can hit Israeli refineries at will it deeply concerns me the dangers any ships would face trying to open the Strait of Hormuz. Not even sure they will be able to achieve much either while in the firing line, tankers are very big targets with very little engagement time for any warship. Anyone with real military experience have any insights.
Well General Nick carter said we have to do it and send ships, but it’s high risk and we may loss them
“ quite exciting meant ships could be lost, he added: ‘It would be challenging, no doubt about it, the risks as I have described them are significant.’
However he added that it should be balanced against the interest the UK and the global economy has in keeping the Straits open.”
The strait is only 21miles wide.. it has islands to hid behind and is flanked by mountainous terrain on the Iranian side..
It’s got two 2 mile wide shipping lanes separated by 2 miles.. so a 6 mile wide deep channel for the tankers..
It’s 104 miles long and supertankers have a top cruise speed of 13-17 knots ( most can’t reach beyond 15-16 knots).. they cannot essentially turn around in the straits at 17 knots they require a 10 mile wide shipping lanes+ shipping lane.. they take miles for a crash stop and then they would need to do a U turn.. essentially you go in your committing to a 17knot manoeuvre on a known heading and speed for 100 miles ( 4-5 hours) about 10 miles from an enemy coastline… looking after a set of ships that will burn with any hit and cannot manoeuvre…
Unless the US takes that 100 miles of coastline with significant ground forces and completely suppresses all resistance ships will die.
And the moment the convoy system fails insurance policies will be pulled..
And you need to keep 100 ships a day safe every day..
It’s to all intents and purposes impossible with military force unless you physically invade.
At the moment the straight has not been mined, if we start escorting ships through there and putting soldiers on the ground (soldiers that America does not have) then the first thing Iran will do is mine the straits.
Once that happens they will be closed for months if not years.
The only way to get the straits open is for the US and Israel to stop bombing Iran.
There is no military solution.
America is all bling, it lacks the manpower or logistics to put a substantial force into Iran. One or two ARG’s with 5,000 marines ain’t going to cut it. Unless Trump is willing to call up the entire guard, restart the draft and some how get Kuwait and Iraq to allow him to spend 12 months building up a massive army in their country he has no cards to play.
He already blew everything up and now Israel thinks that blowing up their oil infrastructure is going to make them change their mind.
Yep basically.
I disagree the US has the manpower and capability to put a significant land force into Iran unlike any other nation on the planet but they have proven on more than one occasion they lack the will to see something through and as in other recent conflicts there is no plan.
We have dodged a bullet so far but it is going to get very difficult not to get drawn in because of the current escalation of the conflict and the huge economic hit this country is now facing.
Really, how do you think they would get them to Iran? you are aware it’s taken the US 12 days to deploy its only forward based MEU with just 2,500 soldiers in it to Iran. 2,500 soldiers is just 1 % of the relatively small force used to invade Iraq in 2003.
If it’s taken 12 days to deploy 2,500 soldiers how long do you think it would take them to deploy a significant force to the gulf? Could you elaborate how the army would even get into Iran?
Do you think Iraq will allow them to invade or perhaps Afghanistan or Pakistan or do you see them landing several hundred thousands troops over the beach nearly 15,000 miles from home.
The really difficult part now is that in a perfect world you would leave them to it but now this has started whatever we think of the POTUS doesn’t really matter (and I agree with much of the sentiment expressed on here). However, we cannot afford for the Iranian regime to be seen to come out anything other than losers because if they can be seen to have faced down the U.S. then be prepared in a few years time for ballistic missiles to be coming to a place near you. All this will also significantly embolden China, Russia and NK and make the West’s challenges in the future even more difficult.
Our next step with our like minded allies is extremely important and sadly it might mean we need to commit our sorely depleted forces into protecting shipping through that choke point.
Whatever happens next the relationship with the US will never be quite the same again and we along with other similar nations need to recognise ‘contracting out’ defence and foreign policy is not a good idea.
God be with all who sail into this sad unfortunate storm.
The numpty did claim the job in the straits was easy and couldn’t understand why nobody wanted to go there! That’s after sending HIS two mine hunters to the other side of the pacific🙄
What’s worse as we have seen time and again this PM has no insight whatsoever as to what can be done even in trying to look decisive he is indecisive I fear he will under pressure take a military decision based purely on political self survival trying to please everyone by using the military as cannon fodder simply because he doesn’t despite all the evidence recognise over reach. So let’s hear the plan for once, or do we need a damn Committee for that.
It’s a bit of a test really.. I hope what we see is an international response of many nations that says yes we will escort.. once your de escalating at the peace table.
Any movement into the straits as is would be deadly.. the USN know this it’s why they are not starting to even consider it themselves.
Personally I think it’s all Trump trying to set up a few key nations to pick as fall guys and lighting rods for his base as it all goes to shite economically.. its perfidious albions fault, it’s the EUs fault ( Germany and France) it’s Japans fault and Chinas fault.. look at it logically the states he either wants to separate from obligations wise and his geostrategic enemies ( China and the EU)… it has a low cunning purpose to it.
Agree our forces should not be put in harms way to appease trump. Can’t see mine clearance being done during hostilities.
I actually don’t know what any of that means in a practical sense. Was it in English?
I hope we condemn Israel for bombing gas infrastructure as well and take sanctions against them. Two sets of animals we are dealing with now. Bombing desalination plants and now gas infrastructure.
The UK has played this right and joining with the major European Allie’s and Japan sends the right message to both sides. Next we should bring in China if they don’t stop.
This is a total cluster. Putting all these nations together there is still not enough assets that could be spared with the other commitments each nation has. And then what rely on the muppets in the White House to provided the air assets and over watch??
Analysts are suggesting that a credible Straits of Hormuz escort force will need to include at least 8-10 capable escorts (destroyers and frigates) with strong air cover. The USA can provide much of the later but wants other countries (not necessarily close allies given the mention of China!) to provide the first.
Being pragmatic, the most realistic solution is a combined maritime force led by France – setting a UN Maritime Task Force or trying to expand the mandate of the European Union´s Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation Aspide will take too long and meet too much resistance. France is the only European country that has the required warships and support ships, bases and command structure (headed by a Rear Admiral) in the region. Assuming a core based on the 2-3 MN destroyers/frigates already in the area, the likes of Italy, Australia, German, Netherlands, Greece, Japan, India, Turkey, Spain and UK could then each regularly contribute one escort. Backstop cover from the CdeG CSG would be highly desirable (essential?), possibly replaced by the POW CSG later. A French Mistral LHD, probably Tonnerre, could provide special forces and hospital facilities, possibly replaced by an Italian San Giorgio or other allied vessels later. Close cooperation with Chinese PLAN ships in the area will be inevitable. The UKMCC base in Bahrain would have a useful admin and logistics role, having more facilities than the small French base in Abu Dhabi whilst being much closer to the SoH than the large French naval base in Réunion.
That’s 8-10 escorts per convoy.. you could have maybe 10 tankers per convoy.. 200 ships a day go in and 200 come out.. so out and in your convoy force is taking a good 12 hours so at best it’s 2 convoys in and 2 out.. so those 10 escorts can manage 10% of the traffic.. according to loyds.. a full return would require 100 escorts running 20 in and out convoys a day…
Just a final thing close co-operation with the PLAN is a strategic disaster of epic proportions.. the latest US navel war college lecture made it clear one of the few tools the US had left to try and control development of the PLAN was to try and exclude them from everything…
Would have thought big escorts vulnerable so close to Iran coast. Little sea room and 100’s of small Iran republic guard craft reportedly ready to swarm possibly preparing for one way missions. Firstly though, they can lay mines.
Yo do realise the USA only has 8 escorts in total able to deploy in the entire Indian Ocean and all 8 are currently deployed around the two carriers stationed there and can’t be spared
I don’t think people are really aware of just how small the US navy is and how few ships it actually has. The entire US navy only has 78 destroyers and zero frigates, its entire deployable strength on a good day is 26 ships globally and every one of them is needed to escorts its CSG and ARG formations.
Whats worse is the gulf is two oceans away for the nearest major US naval base, Bahrain is the only major facility it has in the region and the USN is completely cut off from its base in Bahrain. It’s so bad for them there LCS in the region are having to pull all the way back to Singapore.
The USN completely lacks the capacity to provide major escorts to get tankers through the straits, Trump knows this which is why he wants us to do it.
Well I doubt the Royal Navy can contribute much in its current state. France will probably take the lead on the European side and besides I doubt that spineless cretin in number 10 would give the Royal Navy permission to return fire on any Iranian missile or drone sites that attack the fleet
Trump doesn’t need any help. Iran has no weapons, no leaders and the war is over.
And thanks for the tariffs, America looks after their own, don’t they.
I feel sorry for all the guys in the US military having to cash all the cheques Trump keeps writing. America has the strongest military on the planet but it’s a peace time military same as every one else, it’s a fraction of its Cold War size. Its navy is tiny by its own historic standards, its army is even smaller. It’s loosing tanker aircraft which are irreplaceable at a rate it can’t sustain (7 in one week)
It’s not sized or funded to pull off anything other than limited air strikes against a country the size of Iran.