- In a major speech, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper will argue that no tolls should be levied on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
- Cooper will stress that about one fifth of global oil and gas passes through the Strait and that freedom of navigation cannot be sold to individual bidders.
- She is expected to urge that Lebanon be included in the ceasefire to avoid escalation.
The UK is preparing to take a decisive stance against Tehran’s plan to charge tolls for passage through the world’s most strategic oil waterway.
According to advance extracts of a speech obtained by Reuters, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper will tell an audience at Mansion House that “freedom of navigation means navigation must be free”. She will add that fundamental freedoms of the seas “must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders”.
Cooper is addressing an audience mindful that roughly one fifth of global oil and gas flows through the 33 km wide Strait of Hormuz. Iran has said it wants to charge fees for ships passing through the waterway, turning it into what some analysts have called a geopolitical toll booth. Cooper will argue that such fees would be illegal under international law, which treats the strait as an international waterway.
Her speech also seeks to broaden the two‑week ceasefire negotiated by the US and Iran. Cooper plans to echo calls for Lebanon to be included in the truce, warning that Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon risk destabilising the region. London’s push for Lebanon’s inclusion shows concern over Hezbollah’s potential reaction to the conflict and the spill‑over risk for shipping and energy infrastructure.
For the UK, which relies on global shipping lanes to import oil, LNG and raw materials, freedom of navigation is a red‑line issue. Cooper’s intervention is likely to receive support from NATO allies and the G7 but will test Iran’s resolve. It may also shape EU diplomacy, as Brussels has been weighing its own response to the proposed tolls.
Energy companies, insurers and shipping firms should view the speech as a signal that the UK government will use diplomatic channels and legal instruments to counter any toll regime. It also indicates that London is prepared to align with Washington in pressuring Tehran, even if that risks disrupting the precarious ceasefire.
Beyond geopolitics, the speech underscores how central secure sea lanes are to the global energy system and how quickly legal norms can come under challenge.
