The initiative aims to establish rules for safe passage and the coordination of military vessels to escort tankers, Starmer said in parliament on Monday.
“Let me be very clear, this is about safeguarding shipping and supporting freedom of navigation once the conflict ends. Our shared aim here is a coordinated, independent, multi-national plan,” he said.
A meeting to draw up plans for the mission involving about 30 countries, including Gulf countries, India, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, could happen as soon as Thursday in Paris or London, a French diplomatic source said.
The military ships would provide reassurance without being belligerent, the source said, adding that Iran and the US would be informed of the mission but play no direct part.
Another European diplomatic source questioned whether Trump would welcome a mission now that he had ordered the blockade.
“Since Trump is now using the strait as his own leverage, does he even want a mission there?” the source said.
The Strait of Hormuz should be reopened by diplomacy, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday, adding that creating an international force to oversee it would be complicated.
He called for NATO to reset its ties with Trump at a summit in Ankara in July