More than 20 countries say they want to contribute to efforts for safe passage in Hormuz strait
Summary
Advertisement World More than 20 countries say they want to contribute to efforts for safe passage in Hormuz strait "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait," said the 22 countries. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST DUBAI: More than 20 countries on Saturday (Mar 21) said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz , condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway. "We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," said the 22 countries, mostly European but also including the UAE and Bahrain. "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz , through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas normally flows, and the numerous attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East, have sent energy prices soaring. "We call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations," the countries added. Related: Trump calls NATO 'cowards' over lack of support in Iran war Trump demands other countries help secure vital Strait of Hormuz as Iran vows defiance Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed in new leader Mojtaba Khamenei's first statement Source: AFP/gr Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Strait of Hormuz US-Israel war on Iran Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...
Advertisement World More than 20 countries say they want to contribute to efforts for safe passage in Hormuz strait "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait," said the 22 countries. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST DUBAI: More than 20 countries on Saturday (Mar 21) said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz , condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway. "We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," said the 22 countries, mostly European but also including the UAE and Bahrain. "We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz , through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas normally flows, and the numerous attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East, have sent energy prices soaring. "We call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations," the countries added. Related: Trump calls NATO 'cowards' over lack of support in Iran war Trump demands other countries help secure vital Strait of Hormuz as Iran vows defiance Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed in new leader Mojtaba Khamenei's first statement Source: AFP/gr Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Strait of Hormuz US-Israel war on Iran Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...
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More than 20 countries say they want to contribute to efforts for safe passage in Hormuz strait
"We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait," said the 22 countries.
A UAE navy vessel patrols next to cargo ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Mar 11, 2026. (File photo: AP/Altaf Qadri)
21 Mar 2026 10:05PM
(Updated: 21 Mar 2026 10:07PM)
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DUBAI: More than 20 countries on Saturday (Mar 21) said they would contribute to efforts ensuring
safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz
, condemning Iran's closure of the vital waterway.
"We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," said the 22 countries, mostly European but also including the UAE and Bahrain.
"We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning," they said in a joint statement.
After
the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran
on Feb 28, Tehran has retaliated with strikes on its Gulf neighbours but also on vessels in the strait.
From Mar 1 to Mar 19, commodities carriers made just 116 crossings, according to analytics firm Kpler - a decrease of 95 per cent from peacetime averages.
Iran's
de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
, through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas normally flows, and the numerous attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East, have sent energy prices soaring.
"We call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations," the countries added.
Related:
Trump calls NATO 'cowards' over lack of support in Iran war
Trump demands other countries help secure vital Strait of Hormuz as Iran vows defiance
Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed in new leader Mojtaba Khamenei's first statement
Source: AFP/gr
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Related Topics
Strait of Hormuz
US-Israel war on Iran
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## Expert Analysis
### Merits
- Iran's de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz , through which 20 per cent of the world's oil and gas normally flows, and the numerous attacks on oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East, have sent energy prices soaring. "We call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations," the countries added.
### Areas for Consideration
N/A
### Implications
N/A
### Expert Commentary
This article covers strait, hormuz, iran topics. Notable strengths include discussion of strait. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 528.