PARIS, April 14 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will chair a video conference in Paris on Friday for countries that are willing to contribute to
Hormuz mission talks to focus on sanctions, work with industry – source
International Efforts to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz
By John Irish
Background of the Strait of Hormuz Blockade
PARIS, April 14 (Reuters) - Discussion led by Britain and France of steps to open the Strait of Hormuz will include possible financial sanctions on Iran if it keeps the waterway blocked, and steps to work with industry to resume shipping, a source said on Tuesday.
Paris and London, who have sought to take leadership of the initiative after previous military and political meetings, are seeking to show their willingness to play a role in restoring freedom of navigation once the conflict ends.
Upcoming Multilateral Mission and Diplomatic Coordination
The offices of France's President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday they would co-chair a video conference on Friday of some 40 countries that are willing to contribute to the multilateral mission.
Senior diplomats will hold a call ahead of Friday to prepare the meeting, three other European diplomats said.
Focus Areas of the Working Groups
According to a person familiar with the matter, this week's meetings will centre on four working groups: championing freedom of navigation and maritime security, pursuing economic measures against Iran if the strait stays closed, securing the release of seafarers and trapped ships, and working with industry to support their readiness to resume transit.
A second diplomatic source confirmed the four working groups.
Roles of Britain and France
One of the sources said Britain was leading the diplomatic track, while France was working on the military planning, which would assess what assets could be available from contributing nations and how they could be deployed.
Current Situation and International Responses
Iran's Actions and U.S. Blockade
Iran has largely closed the strait to ships apart from its own since the start of U.S.-Israeli air strikes on February 28. On Monday, Washington imposed a blockade of ships entering or exiting Iranian ports.
Global Reactions and Future Prospects
Trump has called on other countries to help impose the blockade. Britain, France and others say they will not do so, as this would mean joining the war, but they would be willing to help keep the strait open when fighting ends.
Preparatory Nature of the Talks
The sources said that talks were still preparatory and any mission could only happen once the conflict was over and with some form of accord from Iran and the United States.
Diplomatic Perspectives
"The United States needs to get its act together. It's paradoxical at the moment because the ones that are most unpredictable are the U.S.," said a senior European diplomat.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Michel Rose; Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Peter Graff)
