The UK and France are set to co-host a multinational meeting of defence ministers on Tuesday focused on plans to stabilise shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Multiple outlets report that the meeting will be the first defence-ministers session for a wider mission intended to restore confidence and trade flows through the strategically important waterway after months of conflict and disruption.
The UK’s Defence Secretary John Healey will co-chair the meeting alongside France’s defence minister, Catherine Vautrin, with representatives from more than 40 nations expected to attend. The stated aim is to translate prior diplomatic understandings into practical military planning to help protect and escort commercial traffic through the strait.
The announcements come amid a heightened Iran-West standoff. Several sources note that Iran has warned London and Paris against sending warships to the region and said it would respond with a “decisive and immediate” reaction if such a deployment occurs.
