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British foreign minister Yvette Cooper stressed Thursday the "urgent need" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and slammed Iran's "recklessness" as she convened a meeting of some 40 countries on the vital shipping route.Cooper said Iran's blockading of the waterway was "hitting our global economic security" as she kicked off the virtual meeting of international allies.The strait has been virtually closed since the US-Israeli war against Iran started on February 28, impacting global supplies of important commodities including oil, liquid natural gas, and fertiliser.That has led to a sharp rise in energy prices.Cooper said foreign ministers and representatives from more than 40 countries had joined the call to discuss "the urgent need to restore freedom of navigation for international shipping, and the strength of our international determination to see the Strait reopen once more".A total of 37 countries have signed a statement, first published last month, expressing "readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through" the shipping lane.Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands are among those to have signed it.The US, China, and most Middle Eastern countries have not, according to a list provided by the UK government."We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage," Cooper added in her opening remarks, broadcast before the rest of the meeting took place behind closed doors.Cooper said the discussions would focus on the "collective mobilisation of our full range of diplomatic and economic tools and pressures" to "enable a safe and sustained opening of the Strait".A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said securing the Strait of Hormuz could "only take place once the intense phase of the bombing is over".French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on a visit to South Korea, meanwhile, said a military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz was "unrealistic", while lamenting Trump's differing daily statements on the Iran war and Nato."There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the US," Macron said."I say sometimes because it has varied, it is never the option we have chosen and we consider it unrealistic," he said.The virtual meeting came after Trump urged oil-importing nations to show "courage" and seize the narrow strait."The countries of the world that... receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage," Trump said in a prime-time address at the White House late Wednesday."Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves," he added.Trump has said he would consider a ceasefire only when Hormuz is "free and clear".Western officials have insisted any operation to protect seafarers using the strait could only come after a ceasefire."We are also convening military planners to look at how we marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases," Cooper told Thursday's meeting.Around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait in peacetime.The channel normally sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd's List.But since March 1, commodities carriers have made just 225 crossings, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, a 94-percent decrease on peacetime. 

Britain's foreign minister Yvette Cooper plans to introduce sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in war-torn Sudan, she said Tuesday, stressing the need for sustained efforts for a ceasefire. "I've instructed my officials to bring forward potential sanctions relating to human rights violations and abuses in Sudan," Cooper told lawmakers, amid global efforts to end the war in the east African nation.The conflict erupted in 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). RSF's recent takeover of Al-Fashir, one of Sudan's largest cities, has raised grave concerns about mass killings. Both sides have increasingly relied on drone strikes in recent months.Cooper said that the international community had turned its back on Sudan for "far too long". "We may need to make sure teams can get in to investigate these atrocities and hold the perpetrators to account," she said. Last year, Britain imposed sanctions on three businesses which it said were funding military groups behind the Sudanese war.

The British Foreign Office expressed concern over the escalation carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. "The escalation today in Gaza is deeply concerning," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement. "The ceasefire must hold, and humanitarian aid must get through to those in need." Cooper called on all parties to respect US President Donald Trump's peace plan to avoid further bloodshed. Dozens of Palestinians were killed earlier in intensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, the most significant violation of the ceasefire agreement signed on October 9. Meanwhile, reports emerged that Israel decided to close all crossings into the Strip but later reversed its decision.

The appalling suffering in Gaza must end, beginning with an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and ensuring the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to those in need, stressed the new UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. In a statement on Tuesday, she noted that the United Kingdom, through the Peace Framework Initiative, is leading international efforts to create the conditions for peace and security, and to work towards a two-state solution. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the enclave has faced one of the worst humanitarian crises in its history. The blockade and severe shortages of food and medical supplies have caused widespread and profound suffering.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received on Saturday a phone call from the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom (UK) Yvette Cooper.During the call, they discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen them. HE Sheikh Mohammed congratulated Yvette Cooper on her appointment as Foreign Secretary, wishing her success in carrying out her duties.The call also discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to a number of issues of common concern.HE Sheikh Mohammed also stressed the need to intensify regional and international efforts to end the brutal war on the Gaza Strip, ensure the sustainable and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip, and release prisoners and detainees.