UK will play full part in reopening Strait of Hormuz, Starmer says

The UK will play its "full part" in getting the Strait of Hormuz reopened "as soon as possible", Sir Keir Starmer has pledged.

The prime minister said he and French President Emmanuel Macron were bringing together countries prepared to protect vessels in the Strait, a key oil shipping channel effectively closed by Iran since the war began in February.

He told reporters at the G7 summit in France that the impact of the closure on energy prices had affected "every household across the country".

The exact details of the US-Iran deal to end the war have not been released, but President Donald Trump has said the strait will fully reopen when the initial agreement is signed this week.

Sir Keir said: "It's going to make a material difference to our economies, to stability in the world, and of course we're [G7 countries] all united in saying that Iran must not get... a nuclear weapon."

He added that he had congratulated Trump on striking a deal with Iran, describing it as "a really important breakthrough".

On Sunday, Sir Keir said that if required the UK would support the deal by "standing up the defensive, independent multilateral mission" to restore freedom of navigation to Hormuz, including offering to clear mines.

The conflict in the Middle East began after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran, killing the country's supreme leader on 28 February.