French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-host on the 17th (local time) an international video conference for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to AFP, the Elysee Palace said on the 14th that the meeting is aimed solely at countries prepared to take part in defensive missions and “will discuss plans to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as security conditions allow.” A spokesperson for the office of the UK prime minister also said, “The talks will advance work to establish a coordinated and independent multinational plan to protect international shipping once the conflict ends.”

Countries including the UK and France have indicated they will not actively intervene in the war with Iran and could carry out defensive missions in the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting stops. The United States will not attend this meeting, and China and India were invited but their attendance is reported to be uncertain.

On the 26th of last month, military chiefs from 35 countries held a video conference chaired by the French chief of the defense staff, and on the 2nd of this month a UK-led video conference of more than 40 foreign ministers sought ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea also took part in these meetings.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that European countries are pursuing a multinational cooperation initiative, including military assets such as minesweepers, to resume vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the paper said the plan would be implemented after the war with Iran ends and that the United States is likely to be excluded.

According to the WSJ, the initiative has three main objectives: to support the movement of vessels stuck in the strait, to clear large numbers of naval mines, and to provide regular military escorts and surveillance. Mine clearance in particular is an area where Europe has strength, and European countries are said to possess more than 150 such vessels.

There is also discussion of possible participation by Germany, which has traditionally been cautious about overseas military deployments. Such participation would suggest the scope of the mission could be larger than expected. However, differences of view are reported within Europe. France believes that U.S. involvement could heighten pushback from the Iranian side, whereas the UK is said to worry that excluding the United States could draw opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump and narrow the operational scope.