British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper gives opening remarks as she chairs a virtual meeting to discuss the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in London, England.
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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected on Thursday to call for unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz, countering Iranian pressure to take control of one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints.
Mr Cooper is expected to argue in his annual foreign policy speech that ships must have free tolls through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked by Iran since the war began.
“Fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally revoked or sold to individual bidders, and there must be no place for tolls on international waterways,” Mr Cooper said at London’s Mansion House later this evening, according to advance excerpts from his speech.
Iran has said it wants to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that it plans to charge shipping companies in virtual currency for oil tankers passing through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime corridor connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Typically, about 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Straits.
British Prime Minister Cooper is also expected to call for Lebanon to be included in the two-week ceasefire agreed on Tuesday by the United States and Iran.
“The ceasefire agreement between the United States, Israel, and Iran is welcome. It is an important step toward bringing security and stability to the region and relieving pressure on the global economy and our own livelihoods,” Cooper said.
“There is much work to be done and we support the negotiations. They must move forward. There must be no return to conflict. Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. There must be no further threats from Iran to its neighbors. And, crucially, the Strait of Hormuz must be fully reopened.”
Mr Cooper will highlight the economic impact of the Middle East crisis on British people, citing soaring mortgage rates, fuel prices and food prices.
Her speech came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with several countries in the Gulf region to discuss diplomatic efforts to support and maintain the ceasefire agreement.
ICS: ‘Very, very, very concerned’ about tolls
John Staupert, maritime director at the International Chamber of Shipping, a global trade association for ship owners and operators, said the situation was “very confusing”.
“There are rumors of tolls. We don’t have any confirmation that there are any tolls,” Staupert told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday, pointing to a report in the FT that virtual currency payments may be made to ships attempting to navigate the waterway.
He added: “Charging tolls for passage through international waterways is outside the scope of international norms and in practice would undermine international law, freedom of navigation and the right to innocent passage.”
“We are therefore very, very concerned about reports that tolls will be a condition for resuming trade, and we call on all parties in negotiations to cease levying such tolls.”
