LONDON: Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said in a joint statement Thursday they were ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning” the grouping, which also includes Italy and the Netherlands, added, as they condemned “in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf.”
The statement came as around 20,000 seafarers remained stuck on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Maritime Organization, due to an effective Iranian blockade of the crucial maritime chokepoint.
AFP