Nick Lester

Keir Starmer calls for an end to attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and urges a return to ceasefire negotiations as Donald Trump proposes a 20 percent toll on shipping to cover US security costs. The plan draws strong criticism in the UK, with opponents calling it economic extortion and a violation of international law. The United States reinstates a blockade on Iranian ports as hostilities escalate, while Iran continues asserting control over the waterway. International bodies reaffirm that mandatory tolls have no legal basis, and prior G7 agreements emphasised the importance of unrestricted transit. Rising military clashes, new US drone strikes, and unresolved issues around Iran’s nuclear programme underscore heightened regional instability.