Britain and France Lead 30-Nation Military Planning Conference in London for Strait of Hormuz

Britain and France co-hosted a two-day multinational military planning conference in London to advance plans for restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with military planners from more than 30 countries attending, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense.

“Britain, France hold multinational military planning conference in London on Strait of Hormuz Britain and France on Wednesday co-hosted a two-day multinational military planning conference in London to advance plans for restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with military planners from more than 30 countries attending, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense”

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The meeting was held at Britain’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London, and it aimed “to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire,” British Defense Secretary John Healey said ahead of the conference.

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Healey framed the effort as an immediate operational translation of political alignment, saying, “The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire.”

Multiple outlets tied the London talks to the Paris summit held on April 17, where France and Britain convened 51 countries for an international summit on the Strait of Hormuz.

The teleSUR English report also described the London meeting as a step to turn diplomatic consensus into a joint military plan so as to help reopen the Strait “when conditions allow and a ceasefire can be sustained.”

RFI similarly said the London gathering would “advance detailed planning” for reopening the strait when conditions permit, following signs of progress at international talks held in Paris last week.

Across the reporting, the London conference was described as the stage where broad diplomatic agreements are converted into concrete military operational plans.

The Asian outlet 아시아경제 said the April 22–23 meeting “marks the stage where diplomatic agreements between heads of state are being translated into concrete military operational plans,” and it described participating nations as expected to formulate detailed plans for a “defensive” multinational mission.

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It added that the mission would include actions such as protecting merchant vessels and clearing mines once hostilities have ceased.

Forces News likewise said the two-day conference would focus on “military capabilities, command and control,” and how military forces could deploy to the region, while also aiming to protect merchant vessels and conduct mine clearance operations.

Lokmat Times, quoting a UK Ministry of Defence press release, said the sessions would advance military plans to reopen the strait “as soon as conditions permit, following a sustainable ceasefire agreement.”

The Laodong.vn report described the conference as building on the Paris discussions and said the parties called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz “immediately, unconditionally” and agreed to establish a multinational defense force.

The London planning effort was repeatedly linked to the status of ceasefire negotiations and ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

RFI described a “fragile calm between the United States and Iran,” noting that a two-week ceasefire had been due to expire at midnight GMT on Tuesday but that US President Donald Trump announced shortly beforehand that it would be extended to allow more time for negotiations.

RFI also said that despite the extension, tensions remained evident, with both Washington and Tehran accusing each other of breaching the truce, while Trump said a US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place for now.

Crude Oil Prices Today said Trump extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire until negotiations with Iran conclude “one way or the other,” and it said Trump ordered that the U.S. blockade at the Strait of Hormuz remains in place.

VOI.id and Qazinform added more detail on the diplomatic timeline, saying Pakistan hosted talks between the US and Iran on April 11-12 after brokering a 14-day ceasefire on April 8, and that Trump said Washington would extend the ceasefire to allow time for Tehran to prepare a “unified proposal.”

VOI.id further stated that on March 2 Tehran announced navigation restrictions in the strait, which it described as crucial for oil and gas exports, days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28.

The reporting emphasized that the mission being planned was defensive in character and aimed at safeguarding navigation rather than escalation.

RFI said officials stressed that any deployment would only take place once a durable peace was in place, describing it as “a signal aimed at reassuring both regional actors and the wider international community that the initiative is focused on stability rather than escalation.”

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Healey’s remarks were carried across multiple outlets, including his insistence that “The task today and tomorrow is to translate diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire,” and his confidence that “real progress can be made.”

Forces News quoted Healey saying, “International trade, energy security and the stability of the global economy depend on freedom of navigation,” and it added that by strengthening multinational coordination and planning for collective action, the effort could “help reopen the strait, stabilise the global economy and protect our people.”

The Global Times report, while describing the conference, also framed the meeting as turning previously reached diplomatic consensus into a joint military plan to help reopen the Strait “when conditions allow and a ceasefire can be sustained.”

Lokmat Times included additional language from the UK Ministry of Defence press release, saying the sessions would advance military plans to reopen the strait “following a sustainable ceasefire agreement,” and it quoted Healey’s line that he was “confident that, over the next two days, real progress can be made.”

The sources portrayed the London conference as a step that could shape how quickly a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz becomes operational, while also highlighting that mine-clearing and demining planning may take time.

teleSUR English reported that the Pentagon estimated demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz will not begin until the war on Iran is over and could take up to six months, citing anonymous sources described as three anonymous sources cited by The Washington Post.

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It also said these calculations implied economic effects of the conflict could last until almost the end of the year and would still be felt when the U.S. holds its midterm elections in November.

Crude Oil Prices Today said the conference would take place just after Trump extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire and that as of early Wednesday there were no signs that the talks could resume soon.

Laodong.vn said the Paris summit called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and confirmed the creation of an independent and strictly defensive multinational mission with mine-clearing operations.

Meanwhile, Lokmat Times said the conference would focus on operational issues including military capabilities, command and control, and how military forces can deploy to the region, and it quoted the UK Ministry of Defence press release that the work is part of the UK and French leadership of a multinational coalition to reopen the Strait.