Starmer: UK will not participate in US blockade of Hormuz, Iran

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the UK will not participate in the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Starmer said, "We're not supporting the blockade and all of the marshalling diplomatically, politically and capability - we do have mine-sweeping capability, I won't go into operational matters, but we do have that capability - that's all focused, from our point of view, on getting the strait fully open." He added, "What we've been doing over the last few weeks - and this was part of what I was discussing with the Gulf states last week - is bringing countries together to keep the strait open, not shut." He affirmed, "My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure - and there's been some considerable pressure - we're not getting dragged into the war. The UK is not getting dragged in." US President Donald Trump recently posted on Truth Social saying that the US military would be "blockading any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz", claiming, "other countries will be involved with this blockade," alluding to UK involvement via its mine-sweeping efforts.