Twenty countries have pledged to help secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz , as part of a joint statement condemning Iran’s actions in the Gulf and warning of the global consequences of disrupted energy flows.
In a statement published by the Bahrain News Agency , countries including the Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan and Canada said they are ready to contribute to efforts to ensure maritime transit through the strategic waterway.
Other countries involved include the Netherlands, South Korea, and New Zealand.
The statement said the countries expressed their "readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait", while also welcoming preparatory coordination among participating states.
The group also issued a rebuke to Iran, saying they "strongly condemn the recent attacks launched by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces".
They did not mention the US-Israeli strikes targeting Iranian civil infrastructure and oil facilities. They voiced concern over "the escalation of the conflict" and called on Iran to immediately halt "its threats, mining operations, drone and missile attacks, and all attempts to disrupt commercial shipping in the strait", and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817.
The countries stressed that "freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law", warning that "the consequences of Iran’s actions will affect people around the world, especially the most vulnerable".
They added that interference with global shipping and energy supply chains "constitutes a threat to international peace and security".
Alongside maritime security measures, the countries backed efforts to stabilise global energy markets, including the coordinated release of strategic oil reserves by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and cooperation with producing countries to increase output.
They also pledged to support the countries most affected by the crisis through the United Nations and international financial institutions.
The diplomatic move comes as disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas normally pass, has driven sharp rises in fuel prices and heightened concerns over the global economic outlook.
The IEA has already released 400 million barrels from its strategic reserves to calm markets and said it is prepared to release more if necessary.
Britain said on Tuesday it is working with European and Gulf countries and the United States on a plan to restore maritime traffic through the strait, while French President Emmanuel Macron suggested establishing a "UN framework" for a future mission following a European summit in Brussels.
However, Macron cautioned: "We will not take part in any forced reopening of the strait in the context of ongoing military operations and bombardment" in the Middle East.
In recent days, Iran has allowed some vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass, while warning it will block ships linked to states it views as hostile.
Tensions have also surfaced between Washington and its allies after several countries signalled reluctance to take part in military operations to secure the strait.
US President Donald Trump said NATO "has always been a one-way street", arguing that the United States spends "hundreds of billions of dollars annually" protecting its allies without receiving equivalent support.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said "most of its NATO allies" had indicated they did not want to be involved in military action against what he described as the "terrorist regime in Iran".
He added that what he characterised as recent US military successes meant Washington "does not need or want" allied assistance, saying: "We didn’t need them anyway."