Politico: Britain and France hold off on joining the US plan for joint naval patrols in the Strait of Hormuz

Politico reported on Wednesday 7 Mordad 1405 (29 July 2026) that Washington's European allies, chiefly Britain and France, have so far declined to join the United States plan for joint naval patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, setting a durable ceasefire with Iran as their precondition.

According to the report, which Mehr News Agency also relayed, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to persuade London and Paris to take part in the mission, whose stated tasks are searching for sea mines and securing commercial shipping. American and British officials are seeking to convene a meeting in London to define each country's role and which vessels would take part, but sources cited in the report say there has been little progress and no rapid breakthrough is expected.

The Strait of Hormuz carries a large share of the Persian Gulf's exported oil and liquefied gas, and any new security arrangement there feeds directly into tanker war risk premiums, freight costs and world oil prices, variables that also shape Iran's foreign currency earnings.