LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in \u200ca blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not supporting the blockade,\u201d he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened.\u201cIt is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that\u2019s where we\u2019ve put all of our efforts in the last few weeks and we\u2019ll \u2060continue to do so,\u201d Starmer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and while he could not discuss operational matters, the military capability was \u201cfocused from our point of view on getting the Strait fully open\u201d.Starmer said Britain was facing pressure to join the war, but he would not do so unless there was a \u201cclear lawful basis\u201d and a \u201cclear thought-through plan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy decision has been very clearly that whatever the pressure, and there\u2019s been some considerable pressure, we\u2019re not getting dragged into the war,\u201d he said.The U.S. military said it would begin a blockade \u200cof \u2060all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Central Command said that the U.S. blockade, starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday (1400 GMT), would be \u201cenforced impartially against vessels of all \u2060nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports will not be \u2060impeded, the U.S. military said.President Donald Trump said on Sunday U.S. forces would also intercept every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.\u201cNo one who pays \u2060an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,\u201d Trump wrote on social media, adding: \u201cAny Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in \u200ca blockade of the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[765,165,1440,1423],"class_list":["post-3092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-middle-east-conflict","tag-middle-east-tensions","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-war-against-iran"],"yoast_head":"\n