By Tom Ozimek
Contributing Writer
Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan said on Thursday that they are prepared to help ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane blocked by Iran that U.S. President Donald Trump has asked allies to assist with opening.
In a joint statement, the countries condemned Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and energy infrastructure, as well as the effective closure of the key shipping route, and called on Tehran to immediately halt its actions.
They said disruption to global energy supplies posed a threat to international peace and security and that freedom of navigation must be upheld under international law.
“We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the strait to commercial shipping,” they said. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait.”
The statement came as Iran stepped up strikes across Gulf energy infrastructure, hitting refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and liquefied natural gas facilities in Qatar, while also targeting shipping in the region.
The escalation sent oil prices sharply higher, with Brent crude rising above $119 a barrel at session highs and U.S. West Texas Intermediate briefly topping $100, as markets reacted to growing risks to Middle East supply and disruptions to flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly a fifth of global oil trade.
Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran has disrupted traffic through the strait for vessels it says are linked to its adversaries and their allies.
Trump Musters Allies on Hormuz
In normal conditions, roughly 100 ships, including around 50 oil tankers, pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, which tracks maritime data. That flow has slowed to a trickle amid Iran’s blockade.
Trump has called on NATO allies and others to deploy ships to help reopen Hormuz and stabilize energy markets, but there was initially little offer of support, prompting the president to ramp up pressure.
In their joint statement on Thursday, the handful of European countries and Japan said they’re ready to help and encouraged others to act.
“We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” they said, while pledging to take further steps to stabilize energy markets, including “working with certain producing nations to increase output.”
“Maritime security and freedom of navigation benefit all countries,” they wrote. “We call on all states to respect international law and uphold the fundamental principles of international prosperity and security.”
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a statement published by state media this week that Tehran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and continue attacks across the region.
Iran intensified attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf on Thursday. The strikes followed Israel’s Wednesday attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, which is part of the world’s largest natural gas reserve. The Israeli strike prompted Iran to pledge revenge, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warning that it would treat strategic energy infrastructure across the Gulf as “direct and legitimate targets.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the Israeli attack, warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.”
Iran followed through on those threats, striking Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery in Yanbu and igniting fires at major Kuwaiti oil facilities, while also hitting liquefied natural gas infrastructure in Qatar and targeting vessels across the Gulf, with risks appearing to rise for both energy supply and maritime traffic.
The fallout has begun to ripple through global gas markets, with QatarEnergy saying it may be forced to declare force majeure on long-term LNG contracts for up to five years after the attacks knocked out roughly 17% of its export capacity.
The outages — expected to sideline about 12.8 million metric tons per year — threaten supplies to Europe and Asia, including Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China, and could deepen competition for LNG shipments as markets tighten.
European gas prices surged as much as 40% intraday following the strikes on South Pars before easing, while analysts warned that disruptions related to the conflict could amplify the shock to global energy markets.
Iran has also signaled it may seek to formalize its control over the Strait of Hormuz, with lawmakers considering a proposal to impose transit fees on vessels using the waterway and senior officials floating a “new mechanism” that could restrict access for countries that have been hostile to Tehran or acted against its interests.
Reuters contributed to this report.
