France and the United Kingdom convened a video conference on Thursday to lay final groundwork for Friday's multilateral summit on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, with European foreign ministries confirming participation from at least a dozen maritime nations. The talks represent the most substantive Western diplomatic push in weeks to address growing Iranian pressure on commercial shipping through the critical waterway, through which roughly 20 percent of global oil supply passes.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné are expected to jointly chair Friday's session, with Germany, the Netherlands, and several Gulf states participating. Officials confirmed the agenda centres on coordinating naval escort protocols, sharing intelligence on Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vessel movements, and discussing whether a formal joint maritime presence should be established in the region.

The initiative comes amid heightened concern among European capitals that the Hormuz situation could spiral without a structured multilateral framework. European shipping insurers have already raised war-risk premiums sharply over the past month, and several major tanker operators have rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at significant added cost.

Iran's foreign ministry in Tehran issued a statement on Thursday warning against what it called 'provocative naval deployments,' signalling that Tehran is closely monitoring the European diplomatic effort. Iranian officials have maintained that freedom of navigation is guaranteed as long as Western nations do not impose additional sanctions, a position European diplomats described as 'not a credible assurance' given recent interdictions.

Diplomatic sources in Paris indicated that Friday's conference is unlikely to produce immediate binding commitments, but is intended to establish a contact group that can meet regularly and present a unified European position ahead of any broader UN Security Council discussions. Analysts said the diplomatic momentum itself sends a signal to Tehran that European powers are not prepared to treat Hormuz disruptions as a permanent status quo.