Britain and France urge full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is urging the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the BBC, the call from the head of British diplomacy will feature in a speech later today in which she will set out the priorities of British foreign policy. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot today condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Reuters reported that Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also criticized the strikes today. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commented on them on Wednesday after an incident involving warning shots fired at an Italian peacekeeping convoy, AFP reports.

Iran blocked the strategic strait after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against it in late February. Reopening the strait was one of US President Donald Trump’s conditions for ending the conflict. Washington and Tehran accepted Pakistan’s proposal for a two-week ceasefire overnight into Wednesday, which also included opening the strait. Reports in Iranian media had not made clear by Wednesday evening whether this had actually happened.

According to the BBC, Cooper will say today that the deliberate blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critically important artery of the global economy, affects every country on every continent. “It is an international maritime route, a transit route on the high seas,” Cooper will say, noting that closing such a route is contrary to the basic principles of maritime law.

The BBC reports that Cooper will visit the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) today to express support for its efforts to help ships and seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

French Foreign Minister Barrot also called for shipping through the strait to resume today and made clear that any fees would be unacceptable to France. He said Iran must stop supporting groups such as the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, the Palestinian movement Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. He and his British counterpart want the current ceasefire to extend to Lebanon, where the Israeli army is attacking Hezbollah targets. “These attacks are all the more unacceptable because they undermine the temporary ceasefire agreed yesterday (Wednesday) by the United States and Iran,” Barrot said.

Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also strongly condemned the Israeli attacks. According to Reuters, he accused Israel today of violating both international law and the newly agreed ceasefire. “We have witnessed Israel ignoring the ceasefire and dropping hundreds of bombs on Lebanon in violation of international law,” he told lawmakers in the lower house of parliament today. He said the Spanish government considers the conflict reckless and illegal.

Albares also announced today, according to Reuters, that Spain will reopen its embassy in Tehran. “I have instructed the ambassador to return, resume his post and reopen the embassy so that we can contribute to efforts for peace from all sides, including directly from Tehran,” Albares said.

Italy announced on Wednesday that Israeli forces had fired warning shots at a convoy of Italian peacekeepers in Lebanon (UNIFIL). According to AFP, one vehicle was damaged, but no one was injured.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the attacks unacceptable. “Israel’s relentless attacks in Lebanon, which have already caused too many deaths and an unacceptable number of displaced people, must stop immediately,” Meloni said.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 182 people and injured nearly 900 others.