London: Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday distanced Great Britain from Washington’s military strategy, declaring that the United Kingdom will not participate in the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz recently announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking to BBC Radio, the Prime Minister clarified the government's position on the escalating regional crisis. "We are not supporting the blockade," Starmer said, emphasising the administration's resolve to remain outside the direct military theatre. He further asserted that the United Kingdom "is not getting dragged in" to the ongoing conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The move by Trump is being viewed as a sharp escalation in his "maximum pressure" strategy, following the collapse of high-level ceasefire negotiations in Islamabad. The blockade, which the President announced on social media and is scheduled to be enforced by the U.S. Navy starting Monday at 07:30 p.m. IST, targets all maritime traffic entering or exiting Iranian ports within the strategic waterway. In addition to halting trade, Trump has authorised the interdiction of any vessel in international waters that has paid transit tolls to Tehran, accusing the Islamic Republic of "world extortion." While the administration maintains that the operation is necessary to clear Iranian sea mines and restore "freedom of navigation," the unilateral nature of the mandate has drawn sharp rebukes from Tehran, which labelled the move as "piracy" and has sent global oil prices surging above $100 a barrel.

With inputs from AFP