Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has said Iran cannot “hijack” the Strait of Hormuz by imposing shipping tolls, arguing that the laws of the sea prevent Tehran from charging for passage through what she described as an international transit route.
The comments came as Keir Starmer continued his Gulf visit, with the issue of maritime security in the region remaining under close scrutiny. Cooper’s remarks focused on the legal status of the waterway and the limits international law places on attempts to control movement through it.
The Strait of Hormuz is widely regarded as a crucial shipping route, and any suggestion of fees or restrictions on passage raises immediate concern among governments and traders that depend on uninterrupted access. Cooper’s intervention was framed as a rebuttal to the idea that Iran could unilaterally treat the strait as a route it could charge to cross.
In a separate development, French local authorities said two men and two women died after a small boat sank in the Channel between France and Britain. The incident is the latest fatal crossing attempt in waters that have seen repeated tragedy as people try to reach the UK by sea.
A UK government spokesperson said the deaths were deeply distressing and again pointed to the role of criminal gangs in driving dangerous journeys across the Channel.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the deaths in French waters today,” the spokesperson said. “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit.”
The comments underline the continuing pressure on the government over both international security and migration. On one side is the diplomatic challenge of responding to tensions in the Gulf; on the other is the human cost of dangerous small-boat crossings in the Channel.
Further coverage of the Channel deaths was being reported by Diane Taylor.
