On 22-23 April 2026, the British Ministry of Defence announced that it will host a conference with representatives from 30 countries to discuss the formation of an international mission to ensure the security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The conference will take place at the Joint Permanent Headquarters in north-west London, the United Kingdom's command center for the supervision and management of joint military operations.

It is worth noting that this second conference is taking place after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired international discussions on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important access and shipping route, in Paris on 17 April 2026, an event that brought together representatives from more than 40 countries from Europe, Asia and the Middle East to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz.

The leaders’ aim is to launch the “Freedom of Navigation Initiative in the Strait of Hormuz,” and create a European-led naval coalition to protect commercial shipping. The meeting on April 17, 2026, took place while a US naval blockade of Iran was in place. Although Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was “open” following a ceasefire in Lebanon, the coalition leaders insisted on making this freedom of navigation permanent. The initiative can be said to represent a move by European nations to take a greater role in maritime security, with discussions focusing on mine clearance and surveillance.

The British Ministry of Defense said that it would discuss the implementation of decisions to allow for further detailed planning for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as soon as conditions allow, following progress made during talks in Paris last week.

The discussions held in Paris and those to be held in London during meetings with representatives of several states show that France and Britain want to establish a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and, implicitly, create a favorable framework that allows this objective to be achieved.

“The task today and tomorrow is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a common plan to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and support a lasting and permanent ceasefire,” said British Defense Minister John Healey. Moreover, the British official said that he was confident that “real progress can be made.”

Britain and France stressed that the multinational force would be entirely defensive and would be deployed only after a lasting peace in the region is agreed.

The United States and Iran, as belligerent parties, are not participating in the aforementioned talks. The two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran was set to expire at midnight on April 21, 2026, but US President Donald Trump said shortly before the deadline that he was extending it to give more time for negotiations. Both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement, and Mr. Trump said he would maintain the US blockade of Iranian ports.

On April 21, 2026, US President Donald Trump said he would extend the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, hours before it was due to expire, to allow the two countries to continue peace talks to end a war that has killed thousands and rocked the global economy.

Backing off threats of further violence earlier in the day, Trump said in a statement that he had agreed to a request from Pakistan, which has been mediating peace talks in the seven-week war, “to halt the attack on Iran until their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.”

Trump made it known to the international public that the US would continue its blockade of Iranian ports, which the Iranian foreign minister had previously called an “act of war.” The US president said lifting the blockade would undermine prospects for a peace deal.

For its part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)[1] had previously said it would close the Strait of Hormuz until the US blockade was lifted. In this context, it is significant to note that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly fired on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO), run by the Royal Navy, which announced that the incident took place 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. According to the information, an IRGC “warship” approached the said ship, there was no prior warning, and then the Iranian warship “fired at the merchant vessel”.

Trump’s announcement was launched unilaterally and it was not very clear whether Iran or US ally Israel would agree to extend the ceasefire, which began two weeks ago. Trump also said that he would continue the blockade imposed by the US Navy on Iranian ports and shores, which Iranian leaders have called an act of war.

There was no immediate comment from top Iranian leaders, but an IRGC-affiliated news agency said Iran had not requested an extension of the ceasefire and had repeatedly threatened to break the US blockade by force. Moreover, an adviser to Iran's chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said Trump's announcement carried little weight.

[1] The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known domestically as Sepah or Pasdaran and internationally as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary force of the Iranian Armed Forces. It consists of five branches of service: the Ground Forces, the Aerospace Force, the Navy, the Quds Force, and the Basij. It is led by a commander-in-chief, who is appointed by and reports to the Supreme Leader of Iran.