ASEAN bats for safe passage; UK rules out support for US blockade in Strait of Hormuz

JAKARTA, April 13: Southeast Asian countries urged the United States and Iran on Monday to keep going with peace negotiations, enforce a ceasefire and restore the safe passage of ships, seafarers and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz.
The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations made the urgent plea as they held an emergency video conference, the second in recent weeks, to assess the impact of the war in the Middle East, including soaring fuel prices, and how they could cooperate in the face of global crises.
The 11-nation bloc reminded “the obligations of all states to resolve their differences through peaceful means, to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in armed conflicts”.
It called “for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, aimed at preventing further suffering and loss of lives, ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation and overflight”.
Starmer rejects support
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday ruled out British support for Trump’s planned blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, including the crucial shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz.
During a weekend phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer reiterated the UK’s stance on the need to “work with a wide coalition of partners to protect freedom of navigation,” given the strategic importance of the Strait for global trade and energy supplies.
He confirmed the presence of mine-sweepers and anti-drone defensive assets in the region, stressing that British military capability will continue to focus on keeping the Strait “fully open”.
“What we’ve been doing over the last few weeks – and this was part of what I was discussing with the Gulf states last week – is bringing countries together to keep the Strait open, not shut,” Starmer told BBC Radio.
“We’re not supporting the blockade and all of the marshalling, diplomatically, politically and in terms of capability – we do have mine-sweeping capability, I won’t go into operational matters, but we do have that capability – that’s all focused, from our point of view, on getting the Strait fully open,” he said.
Against the backdrop of Trump’s threat to blockade ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz in a post on Truth Social, Starmer reiterated the UK’s position against being drawn into the US-Iran conflict. “My decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure – and there’s been some considerable pressure – we’re not getting dragged into the war. The UK is not getting dragged in. That’s not in our national interest, because I’m not going to act unless there’s a clear, lawful basis and a clear thought-through plan,” he said. (PTI)