The United Kingdom has thrown its support behind a United Nations-led evacuation of commercial sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, as international tensions over maritime security escalate. The move comes amid warnings from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio against imposing new tolls on shipping through the strategic waterway.
The Foreign Office confirmed on Monday that British diplomats are working with the UN to secure safe passage for crews from vessels caught in the crossfire between Iranian and allied forces. The operation, code-named “Safe Passage,” aims to extract non-essential personnel from tankers and cargo ships that have been unable to transit the strait due to recent hostilities.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “The United Kingdom is committed to upholding freedom of navigation and protecting the welfare of seafarers. We welcome the UN’s initiative to de-escalate the situation and will provide logistical support where possible.”
The crisis has its roots in the ongoing standoff between Iran and Western powers over nuclear negotiations and regional influence. In recent weeks, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes, in response to increased sanctions. A series of tit-for-tat seizures of vessels has left hundreds of sailors stranded in precarious conditions.
Meanwhile, Secretary Rubio, speaking at a press conference in Washington, warned against a proposal floated by some Gulf states to levy tolls on vessels using the strait. “Such a measure would be a flagrant violation of international law and would only serve to destabilise global energy markets,” he said. “The United States calls on all parties to respect the right of innocent passage and to avoid unilateral actions that could lead to further conflict.”
The UN evacuation plan is seen as a temporary measure to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. The International Maritime Organization has reported that several vessels have been detained for weeks without adequate supplies of food and water. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration and the World Food Programme have been tasked with coordinating the relief effort.
Analysts view the British support as a calibrated move to assert influence in a region where the UK maintains a naval presence through the Royal Navy’s HMS Montrose and HMS Defender. The UK’s naval assets have been deployed to the Gulf to protect British-flagged ships and ensure freedom of navigation.
The situation remains fluid. The Iranian government has not yet responded to the UN’s request for safe passage, and it is unclear whether the evacuation will be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is also on standby to assist if required.
The evacuation comes at a time of heightened diplomatic activity. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is expected to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart later this week, with the strait crisis high on the agenda. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for restraint from all sides, warning that any escalation could have catastrophic consequences for the global economy.
The toll proposal, which Rubio condemned, is reportedly advocated by some Arab states seeking to recoup costs for maritime security. However, legal experts argue that imposing tolls would breach the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation through international straits.
As the UN prepares to begin the evacuation operation in the coming days, the world watches closely. The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, and the successful extraction of stranded sailors may prove to be a critical test of international cooperation in a region fraught with peril.
