London: Britain will hold talks with allies next week on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping without paying tolls to Iran.
British foreign ministry officials are set to meet next week with counterparts from countries that joined a virtual April 2 meeting hosted by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks will include “coordinated economic and political measures, including possible sanctions” and the release of ships and sailors trapped in the Strait, the official was quoted as saying.
Representatives from over 40 countries, along with international organisations such as the European Union and the International Maritime Organization, attended the April 2 meeting to discuss possible coordinated actions on Iran, including diplomatic pressure and economic and political measures like sanctions, Xinhua news agency reported.
An official with knowledge of the planning has said the meeting is expected to look for ways to support a sustainable end to the conflict and focus on increasing international diplomatic pressure on Iran to reopen the strait.
This includes exploring coordinated economic and political measures, such as sanctions, and working with the International Maritime Organisation to secure the release of thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the strait.
It would be the third meeting hosted by Britain regarding the issue this month. It is not yet clear which day the meeting will be held next week.
The US and Iran entered a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran are heading into high-stakes ceasefire talks in Islamabad amid deep mistrust, competing demands and mounting pressure on both sides to find an exit from the conflict, according to mainstream American media reports.
As The Washington Post reported, the two sides appear to share little common ground beyond “their need to find an exit ramp from the war.”
Ahead of the talks, both countries accused each other of acting in bad faith. US President Donald Trump described Iran’s public proposals as “a hoax” and said Tehran was being “dishonourable” in restricting tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, The Washington Post reported.
Iran, meanwhile, has set firm preconditions. According to The Washington Post and The New York Times, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said issues such as the release of “blocked assets” must be resolved before negotiations begin.
(IANS)
