French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a leader-level international summit in Paris on Friday, gathering dozens of countries to coordinate efforts to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil normally flows. The meeting, notably held without the United States, reflects a growing push by nations on the sidelines of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to cushion the blow of a conflict they neither started nor joined, but whose consequences are being felt across the global economy.
The crisis began on February 28, when the war's outbreak prompted Iran to effectively shut the strait, bringing maritime traffic to a near standstill. Vessels have been massing on either side of the waterway, with little evidence of ships completing the transit. The U.S. has responded with an expanding naval blockade of Iran, asserting on April 12 the right to board and seize any ship on international waters suspected of carrying goods — including broad categories of industrial cargo — destined for Iran. Maritime intelligence agency Lloyd's List has noted that the scope is wide enough that almost any industrial shipment bound for Iran could be intercepted, significantly raising the stakes in an already volatile situation.
A particularly tense moment arose on April 14, when a Chinese-owned, Malawi-registered tanker, the Rich Starry, appeared to transit the strait before ultimately turning back into the Gulf of Oman without being intercepted by U.S. forces. China purchases around 90 percent of Iranian oil, and its tankers had previously moved in and out of Iranian ports with little interference. Any U.S. decision to board a Chinese-linked vessel would risk a sharp escalation between Washington and Beijing, a tension already heightened ahead of President Donald Trump's planned state visit to China next month. Maritime strategy experts describe the standoff as a test of economic endurance — who can absorb more pain from the disruption.
South Korea signalled its intention to participate in the Paris summit, with President Lee Jae Myung described by a senior official as "positively considering attending" the virtual gathering. Seoul had already taken part in earlier coordination efforts, including a French-led video conference of military officials in March and a British-led ministerial meeting in early April. South Korea's message was expected to focus on energy supply chain security, the country's position on the Middle East situation, and the importance of international solidarity. China's participation in Friday's summit remained unconfirmed.
The Paris meeting underscores a widening diplomatic fault line: on one side, the United States pressing its blockade strategy to maximise economic pressure on Tehran; on the other, a broad coalition of trade-dependent nations seeking a negotiated pathway to reopen one of the world's most critical chokepoints. Whether the summit can translate collective concern into concrete maritime action remains to be seen, but its scale and urgency signal that the Hormuz crisis has moved firmly to the centre of global economic and security politics.