UK and France Host 30-Nation Military Summit to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

LONDON: Britain and France are convening senior military planners from more than 30 nations this week to develop a coordinated strategy for reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, officials confirmed.
The two-day conference, beginning Wednesday, is being held at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London. The talks aim to translate recent diplomatic agreements into an actionable military plan, to be implemented once conditions stabilize and a durable ceasefire holds.
Military planners are expected to focus on force capabilities, command and control structures, and the logistics of potential troop deployment in the region.
Iran announced restrictions on navigation through the Strait on March 2, days after a joint US-Israeli strike on Iranian territory on February 28. The chokepoint is critical to global oil and gas exports. Pakistan played a key diplomatic role in brokering a 14-day ceasefire on April 8 and hosted US-Iran talks on April 11–12. The ceasefire was set to expire Wednesday evening Washington time.