India Joins UK-France Maritime Initiative to Secure Vital Hormuz Strait

During a weekly media briefing in the capital, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the invitation, stating, "Yes, India has got the invitation to join the initiative. The meeting is scheduled to start in a few hours. We will inform you on India's role and will also inform you on what was discussed at the meeting."

This invitation arrives as the international community intensifies efforts to ensure the security of one of the world's most vital energy corridors, which facilitates nearly twenty per cent of the global oil trade.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi has been asked to contribute to a collaborative plan aimed at maintaining "uninterrupted navigation" through the strategic passage. This move reflects a mounting global urgency to stabilise the region and protect essential shipping lanes.

In a related diplomatic push, Al Jazeera reports that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks at the Élysee Palace. The two leaders are preparing to host a virtual summit with approximately 40 countries to address the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The discussions are expected to focus on establishing a coalition dedicated to tanker security and may include potential demining operations, though specific details are yet to be finalised.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also slated to attend and has suggested that he wants US President Donald Trump to be included in the process.

While international efforts for a maritime coalition gather pace, Donald Trump has declared that the American naval blockade of Iranian ports will persist until a comprehensive peace agreement is finalised with Tehran, despite Iran's move to restore access to the Strait of Hormuz.

Clarifying the US position via his Truth Social network, Trump stated, "The naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete." He further noted that "this process should go very quickly."

In a subsequent social media update, the US President mentioned that Iran is currently removing mines from the Strait of Hormuz with American assistance. These remarks follow Tehran's announcement of a temporary reopening of the strategic waterway, a move linked to the ceasefire currently in effect between Israel and Lebanon.

While commercial shipping is now permitted to transit the route, Washington has maintained that economic and military pressure on Iran will not subside prematurely.

Although Trump welcomed the Iranian announcement with a "THANK YOU!" on his Truth Social platform, acknowledging that the waterway was "FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE", he remained firm that the blockade of Iranian ports would only be lifted once a formal peace deal is signed.

The President told reporters on Thursday that a deal with Iran was "very close", although high-level negotiations led by Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan last weekend ended without a breakthrough.

Tehran's decision to open the shipping lane to commercial traffic coincided with the commencement of the Lebanon truce, sparking optimism that significant hurdles to a broader US-Iran agreement are being dismantled.

In Lebanon, the 10-day cessation of hostilities has prompted displaced families to return to their homes. Roads were reportedly thronged with vehicles as residents took the opportunity to travel back to the war-torn southern regions and bomb-damaged areas of south Beirut.

Following the start of the truce in Lebanon, where Israel has been engaged in conflict with the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that Iran would lift its restrictions on shipping through the critical Gulf energy corridor.

- ANI