After US President Donald Trump claimed that the United Kingdom and other countries will send minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz, the UK said it is trying to bring together a “wide coalition” with France and others to ensure passage through the waterway.
“We continue to support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is urgently needed to support the global economy and the cost of living back home,” a UK government spokesperson told CNN on Sunday.
“The Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolling,” the spokesperson said. “We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.”
Last month, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that “mine hunting systems of ours are already in the region.”
Trump’s comment about British minesweepers in the strait came shortly after he announced that the US Navy would begin blockading the waterway. CNN understands that the UK will not participate in a blockade.