Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains below prewar levels as British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband travels to Turkey on Friday for talks on the waterway and Saudi security, The Independent reported.
The outlet described the meeting as a gathering of the E4 group — Britain, France, Germany and Italy — and the R4 group — Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. It said the talks would focus on the waterway and Saudi Arabia, where hostilities with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have escalated. Shipping traffic through Hormuz remained below prewar levels, the outlet reported.
Miliband was expected to connect Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia with pressure on shipping routes at Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal. He also planned to argue that other forces were copying Iranian military tactics and to warn that further instability caused by Iran and its partners posed risks to regional security and global markets, according to the report.
Britain’s military assistance for Saudi Arabia forms part of the context for the trip. The Independent reported that Britain announced expanded aid earlier in the week, including fighter jets intended to intercept Houthi drones and missiles directed at the kingdom.
The Independent linked the Hormuz talks to tensions between Washington and Tehran. It said attacks on the waterway had increased after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest offer to end the war and reopen the strait. The proposal included lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, according to the outlet.
The Independent said Iran’s terms echoed those in a June deal with Washington that collapsed within days of being signed. It also said the conflict began Feb. 28 with joint U.S. strikes against Iran. Miliband was expected to call for a diplomatic settlement to the war that would restore full passage through Hormuz. The meeting is due Friday in Turkey, the outlet reported.
