Cooper urges full and toll-free reopening of Strait of Hormuz

Since ships in the Gulf were warned by the Iranian navy that those without authorisation to pass through were targeted, the foreign minister has ordered that the Strait of Hormuz be fully restored.

As ships face confusion about whether or not to make payments to Iran to ensure safe passage, Yvette Cooper told the BBC there should be no tolls or restrictions on the critical shipping route.

She also requested that Lebanon be urgently included in the US and Israel's ceasefire deal with Iran.

On the second day of his trip to the Gulf, Sir Keir Starmer's stay in Abu Dhabi has been a point of tension, as signs that the ceasefire deal is being put into place.

Sir Keir talked with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday night, who agreed on the need for lasting peace.

About a fifth of the world's energy shipments go through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively closed down due to Iranian attacks in reaction to the US and Israel's bombing campaign.

The price of crude oil has risen as a result of widespread inflation, prompting questions about the cost of living in countries around the world.

No country should be able to hijack international shipping routes in the way that Iran does, Cooper, who will give her annual address on UK foreign policy priorities on Thursday evening, said.

That's why it's so critical that we have this international cooperation to keep the Strait fully open,

She said on BBC Breakfast that there should be no tolls or restrictions and that the Straits should be fully open.

According to Sherry, Gulf countries have been clear about the damage they will cause to global trade routes.

Cooper also said in many of the conversations she's had with the US administration, "They've also expressed how sad they think this will be.

Any pay for passage tolls system, according to Defense Secretary John Healey, who spoke at a press conference in Downing Street, would result in a potential principle that could be used and exploited by others elsewhere.

Ministers acknowledge that the final decisions are in the hands of the US and Israel, and the foreign minister has advised them to include Lebanon in the ceasefire agreement.

Cooper said on Wednesday that she was

very worried about the intensification of Israeli strikes,

"We want Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire and for hostilities there to end."

Pakistan, which acted as an intermediary in the ceasefire talks, and Iran announced that the agreement covered Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting the Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

However, Israel and the United States have stated that the two-week truce does not include Lebanon.

On Thursday, the foreign minister would also visit the International Maritime Organization in a show of support for the organization's efforts to help ships and seafarers who are currently stuck in the waterway.

Last week, the UK chaired talks with more than 40 nations on how to deblock the Strait of Hormuz, with all participants deciding that the war must come first.

Following the virtual summit, which the US was not interested in, cooperators said Iran had been able to hijack the international shipping route to "hold the global economy hostage.

The US has consistently accused allies of failing to secure the shipping route or supporting its war effort, leaving the United Kingdom and other nations wondering how to protect the critical waterway without being involved in the wider conflict.

Iran has targeted several vessels in reaction to the US and Israel's war against it, disrupting oil exports and raising global fuel prices.

Trump said it was for other nations to build up some delayed confidence and reopen the route ahead of the ceasefire warning on Wednesday.