UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended a proposed UK–France maritime mission in the Strait of Hormuz, amid reports suggesting that a NATO-led deployment could be under consideration.
She said the initiative, backed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, would involve countries “from across the globe” rather than being limited to the NATO alliance, dpa reports.
The proposed mission would reportedly use naval assets, potentially including the Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon, to ensure maritime security, reassure commercial shipping, and clear mines from the strategic waterway. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively disrupted since the start of the US-Israeli military offensive against Iran.
Cooper stressed that the initiative is separate from the ongoing conflict and would only begin after hostilities have ended.
“We want to do that, but that's why the approach the UK has been taking is to lead the diplomatic and the economic pressure and drawing together this coalition of 50 countries to champion freedom of navigation,” she said.
When asked whether the UK preferred the joint UK–France framework over a NATO-led mission, she responded:
"That's what we've been working on and it draws together countries that are outside Nato, from across the globe, that have been involved in those discussions and supporting the kind of reassurance that you need, also mine clearance, how we make sure international shipping can get going safely again."
NATO foreign ministers are expected to meet in Sweden this week, ahead of a broader alliance summit scheduled for July.
By Sabina Mammadli
