LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said there is an urgent need for a resumption of the ceasefire between the United States (US) and Iran amid a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“I utterly condemn Iran’s strikes on commercial shipping and on our Gulf partners. These attacks must stop,” Starmer told a joint news conference in Paris with French, German and Ukrainian leaders following a “coalition of the willing” meeting.
Starmer expressed support for the negotiation process and said “we are ready” to deploy assets to help get ships moving again.
“We urgently need to see a resumption of the ceasefire and negotiations on the remaining issues, alongside unrestricted freedom of navigation in the straits,” he said.
The US and Iran exchanged renewed strikes over the weekend, with President Donald Trump saying the US was “reinstating” a blockade on Iran and that it would charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran effectively closed the key waterway during the US-Israeli war that began in late February, and a full reopening was expected after a memorandum of understanding to end the war was signed in June. – BERNAMA-ANADOLU
