Plus de 40 pays appellent l'Iran à la "réouverture immédiate" du détroit d'Ormuz, sous peine de sanctions
"Iran is attempting to hold the world economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz. It must not succeed. To this end, the partners today called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the strait and respect for the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and the law of the sea," the minister said in a statement.
The countries agreed "to explore coordinated economic and political measures, such as sanctions, to put pressure on Iran if the strait remains closed," she added.
Since the start of the war, Tehran's near-paralysis of the Strait of Hormuz, through which normally a fifth of the world's oil production, as well as liquefied natural gas and fertilizers, passes, has had a global economic impact and has led to a sharp rise in the price of hydrocarbons.
This blockage is a "direct threat to global prosperity," Ms. Cooper stressed.
The countries also agreed to "increase diplomatic pressure" on Iran. But there was no discussion at this stage about securing the Strait of Gibraltar, even as US President Donald Trump urged countries dependent on maritime transport through the strait to mobilize to unblock it.
"Go to the strait, seize it, protect it, use it," said Donald Trump on Wednesday, who accuses several of Washington's NATO allies of not coming to the aid of the United States since the beginning of the conflict triggered on February 28 by Israeli-American strikes on Iran.
The American president had stated the previous day that he would consider a ceasefire with Iran if the strait were opened. To this, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, replied that the strait would remain closed to the country's "enemies."
From Seoul, French President Emmanuel Macron judged that a military operation to "liberate" the strait would be "unrealistic" and would involve "a lot of risks".
The Gulf countries, for their part, are demanding a green light from the UN to be able to unblock the strait by force.
Many member countries of the initiative launched in mid-March by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, have insisted that a mission to secure the strait could only be considered once the conflict is over.
This position was reiterated on Thursday by a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who stated that a mission in the strait was only possible "once the intense part of the bombing is behind us".
Next week, London will chair a meeting of "military planners" from the same countries to examine options for making the Strait of Hormuz accessible and safe for navigation after the cessation of hostilities.
At Thursday's meeting, Italy expressed support for the creation, within the framework of the UN, of a "humanitarian corridor" to allow the passage of fertilizers, "in order to avoid a new food crisis, particularly in African countries".
Only a few ships – mainly Iranian, Emirati, Indian, Chinese and Saudi – continue to transit the strait daily.
Since the beginning of March, 225 cargo ships have transited the strait, according to the maritime analysis company Kpler, representing a 93% drop compared to the situation in peacetime.
The Philippine government announced Thursday that it had received assurances from Iran that it would allow oil shipments carried by ships flying the Philippine flag to pass safely.
For its part, Iraq indicated that it had started exporting its oil by truck via Syria, due to a lack of maritime outlets.
China, Iran's leading trading partner which has remained discreet since the start of the conflict, on Thursday accused the United States and Israel of being the "primary cause" of the blockade of the strait, due to their "illegal military operations" against Iran.
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