British PM: Strait of Hormuz operation not a NATO mission

JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that operations to reopen shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz would not be carried out under the auspices of NATO.

"We are working with others to put together a credible plan for the Strait of Hormuz to ensure we can reopen the shipping lanes," he told a news conference on Monday, March 16, as reported by Sputnik.

"Let me be clear: it was not and never was planned as a NATO mission. It has to be a partnership alliance, which is why we are working with partners in Europe, in the Gulf, and with the US," Starmer said.

Earlier on Saturday last weekend, US President Donald Trump asked China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to secure one of the most important global oil trade routes.

He warned NATO allies the alliance faces a "very bad future" if it fails to secure the strait.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski rejected Trump's proposal, saying his government "has no plans to participate in such a mission."

The Financial Times reported that France had also rejected Trump's initiative.

France is reportedly negotiating with other countries in Europe, the Persian Gulf, and beyond to jointly patrol the strait after the conflict in the Middle East ends.

The head of the European Union's foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, said ahead of an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels that he would discuss expanding the Aspides naval mission to the Strait of Hormuz.

The mission involves Greek and Italian ships protecting the ship in the Red Sea.

Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Greece would refuse to participate if the mission were expanded to the Strait of Hormuz.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an attack on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, which caused damage and killed civilians.

Iran then retaliated by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.

Escalation around Iran caused traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to de facto stop.

The strait is a key route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf countries to global markets, affecting regional oil exports and production.