Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have discussed the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a call about the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Traffic through the strait – one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes – has slowed down by about 95% since the Iran war began on 28 February.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market” during the conversation on Sunday evening.
It comes as Sir Keir is set to chair a Cobra meeting, which will be attended by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, on Monday to discuss the impact of the war on the cost of living.
The Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir and Trump had “agreed to speak again soon”.
Iran has effectively blocked the strait since the US and Israel attacked the country on 28 February.
About 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through it, and global fuel prices have soared in the wake of the war, with crude up 45% to $106 a barrel.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait was not opened within 48 hours.
Tehran has said it would target US-linked energy sites across the Gulf region if the US follows through with its threat, according to Iranian state media.
Topics expected to be covered at the Cobra meeting, which will also be attended by the chancellor, foreign secretary and energy secretary, include energy security and the economic impact of the crisis on families.
Ministers will also discuss the impact on business and supply chains, alongside the international response.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the government was already taking action on energy bills, including a £53m package for homes struggling with a sharp increase in the price of heating oil.
He also said that there was “no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK – or even could if they wanted to”.
It came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that Tehran had weapons that could reach up to 4,000km (2,485 miles).
It had also previously emerged that Iran targeted the joint US-UK military base on the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, around 3,800km from Iran.
Reed refused to say how close the missiles came to the British overseas territory, saying he could not share “operational details”.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia – one of which failed and fell short, while the other was intercepted, Reed said.
On Friday, the government agreed to allow the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz.
It had previously allowed US forces to use the bases only for defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.
By BBC News
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