'Still a lot of work to do' to reopen Strait of Hormuz, says British premier in Saudi Arabia

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said there is “still a lot of work to do” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as he visited Saudi Arabia amid ongoing efforts to stabilize global energy supplies.

“There’s work to do. It’s early days,” he told broadcasters during the visit, adding that there was "a real sense" of relief following the US-Iran ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan, but stressed the importance of ensuring any progress leads to lasting stability.

Those stationed at the military base he was visiting, as well as people across the UK, would want that relief “to be permanent,” he said.

“Because the impact on our energy prices, you can see it on a daily basis over the last 39 days, it’s our job to make sure that the strait is open, that we’re able to get the energy that the world needs out and stabilize the prices back in the UK,” Starmer said.

He once again said the UK was “not getting drawn into this war.”

On Tuesday, Trump announced that he agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

The announcement came less than two hours before a deadline Trump had set for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept an agreement or face what he described as the destruction of “a whole civilization.”

Regional tensions escalated after the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

Tehran also restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which it has agreed to reopen as part of the ceasefire deal.