UK to urge full reopening of Strait of Hormuz

UK to urge full reopening of Strait of HormuzJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJack Fenwick,Political correspondentandTabby WilsonEPAThe foreign secretary will call for the Strait of Hormuz to be fully reopened later on Thursday after ships in the Gulf were warned by the Iranian navy that those without permission to pass through faced attack.In her annual speech on UK foreign policy priorities, Yvette Cooper will also call for Lebanon to be included in the US and Israel's ceasefire agreement with Iran.The UK may not have taken part in attacking Iran but ministers are keen to use any diplomatic heft to help reopen the vital shipping lane closed by Tehran.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is visiting allies in the Gulf, last night meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who agreed on the need for a lasting peace.Follow live updates on this storyWhy the Strait of Hormuz matters so much in the Iran warStarmer says much work remains to make US-Iran ceasefire hold'Even if Iran war ends now, farmers' costs will have to be passed on'Why fuel and food prices could still be affected for monthsThis evening, Cooper is expected to say that the war has affected "every country on every continent", driving up food and petrol prices in the UK.She will call for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to be toll-free and unhindered after reports that vessels could be forced to make payments to Iran in exchange for safe passage.Ministers accept the real decisions lie in the hands of the US and Israel - and the foreign secretary will call on them to include Lebanon in the ceasefire deal."There is considerable work to do and we support the negotiations," Cooper will say, outlining that there must be no return to conflict.She will emphasise that the Strait or Hormuz must reopen as the "deliberate blocking of this critical artery of the global economy" is affecting British people, despite being more than 3,000 miles away. "This...