35 nations hold emergency meeting on reopening the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz

Foreign ministers from 35 countries met in a virtual emergency session organized by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to coordinate a response to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting included several European Union members along with major economies across Asia, Africa, and the Gulf region. One country was conspicuously absent: the United States.

The Strait of Hormuz is a 33-kilometer-wide waterway at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman. Roughly 20 to 21 million barrels of oil pass through it daily, accounting for about one-fifth of global oil consumption. When that corridor closes, there is no straightforward alternative. The only partial bypass is Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, which has a maximum throughput of around 5 million barrels per day, leaving a significant gap that cannot be rerouted.

What the meeting produced and what it did not

The 35-nation session produced a joint statement calling for Iran to restore free passage through the strait and condemning ongoing drone and missile attacks across the Middle East. The statement stopped short of authorizing any military escort operations or collective naval response, which had been floated in pre-meeting discussions among European delegations. France and Germany pushed for stronger language on economic consequences, while several Gulf states urged the group to avoid any language that could be read as an invitation to escalate.

The absence of the United States from the meeting was not explained officially by Washington. The State Department said only that the U.S. was engaged in its own diplomatic and military channels regarding the situation. Given that the U.S. has been conducting direct military operations against Iran, its exclusion from a multilateral diplomatic forum organized by a close ally is unusual and signals a genuine split in how the Western alliance is approaching the crisis.

What Iran's closure of the strait actually means for oil markets

Brent crude has risen sharply since Iran moved to restrict passage through the strait. At the time of the emergency meeting, Brent was trading above $96 per barrel, up from $78 per barrel three weeks earlier. That is a 23% increase in under a month. Tanker insurance rates for vessels operating anywhere near the Strait have increased by a factor of four since the closure began, according to Lloyd's Market Association data published this week.

Japan and South Korea, both of which rely on Gulf crude for the majority of their oil imports, have already begun drawing down strategic petroleum reserves. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry authorized a release of 7.5 million barrels from national reserves within 48 hours of the strait closure. India, which imports roughly 40% of its crude from Gulf producers, convened its own separate emergency cabinet session on energy security.

Iran's military activity beyond the strait

Iran's military operations during this period have not been confined to the strait. Drone and missile attacks attributed to Iranian-backed groups have targeted infrastructure in several neighboring countries. The attacks have included strikes on facilities in Iraq, as well as continued exchanges across the Lebanese border. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed credit for specific operations in public statements issued through Iranian state media.

The breadth of simultaneous activity is logistically significant. Running operations across multiple fronts while enforcing a maritime blockade requires coordination and supply chains that Iran has been building for years through its network of allied militia groups. What it also does is spread the response capacity of any coalition attempting to counter the activity, which appears to be a deliberate operational feature rather than coincidence.

Starmer's diplomatic position and what the UK is trying to achieve

Keir Starmer organizing this meeting is a calculated positioning of the UK as a diplomatic coordinator at a moment when the U.S. is pursuing a unilateral military approach. The UK's Royal Navy has assets in the region and participates in Combined Maritime Forces, the multinational naval partnership that has historically provided some security in Gulf waters. Britain cannot resolve the strait closure on its own, but convening 35 nations gives Starmer leverage to argue that a diplomatic track exists even if Washington is not currently on it.

The next concrete step flagged after the meeting is a follow-up session scheduled within 72 hours to discuss the feasibility of a joint naval escort mechanism for commercial tankers attempting to transit the strait. France, Italy, and Australia have all indicated preliminary willingness to contribute vessels to such a mechanism if a legal framework and rules of engagement can be agreed upon quickly. Whether that can be structured and deployed fast enough to meaningfully affect oil markets in the short term is the question shipping companies and energy traders are watching most closely.