Top US, UK diplomats stress need for free navigation in Strait of Hormuz

UIS Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper agreed on the need for international efforts to ensure free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the US State Department said on Tuesday.

Rubio spoke with Cooper by phone to discuss Iran’s ongoing retaliatory attacks across the Middle East and the “critical importance of restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a readout of the call.

“The Secretary and Foreign Secretary agreed on the need for international efforts to ensure shipping can move freely and energy supplies can reach global markets,” the statement said.

The call came hours before President Donald Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement, as he warned earlier Tuesday that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

Regional tensions have escalated since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,400 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The United Kingdom last week gathered foreign ministers from around 40 countries to discuss options to reopen the strait, following calls from Trump for allies to help secure the key waterway, though the US was not among participants.

Trump has repeatedly said securing the Strait of Hormuz is not Washington’s responsibility while criticizing NATO allies and threatening to pull the US out of NATO.