London, the British capital, is hosting an international military conference today, (Wednesday) bringing together defense planners from 30 countries for two days of talks focused on detailed operational plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The meeting is co-chaired by the United Kingdom and the France, and is being held at the UK’s Standing Joint Command headquarters in Northwood, north London. The discussions aim to translate recent diplomatic consensus into coordinated military planning to secure freedom of navigation and support a lasting ceasefire in the region.
On the eve of the conference, UK Defense Secretary John Healey said the goal is to turn diplomatic agreement into a “joint plan to protect freedom of navigation” and stabilize global energy and trade flows. He expressed confidence that tangible progress could be achieved over the two-day meeting.
A British government statement confirmed that the sessions will focus on developing practical military arrangements to reopen the strait once conditions allow, following a permanent ceasefire agreement. The plan also includes coordination on maritime security operations to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping.
The conference follows a broader international summit held in Paris last week, chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which brought together 51 countries and called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the strait.
That summit also proposed establishing an independent, defensive international maritime mission tasked with protecting commercial vessels, reassuring shipping operators, and conducting mine-clearance operations to restore safe navigation.
