Six major international powers, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, said Thursday (March 19, 2026) 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 said in a joint statement, as they condemned "in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf".
Iran-Israel war updates on March 19, 2026
The declaration came as an effective Iranian blockade of the strait has paralysed commercial shipping through the crucial maritime chokepoint, which in peacetime sees a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas pass through it.
The war, which erupted on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran, has led Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the Gulf region, with 23 commercial vessels, including 10 tankers, reporting having been attacked or incidents.
