France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom call for urgent reopening of Hormuz

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom called for the "urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation" in a joint statement that "warmly welcomed" the announcement of a settlement on the war in Iran.

"We are committed to doing our part to achieve this, in accordance with our respective constitutional requirements, including through a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations," they said.

The leaders said they are "prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear and verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear program." They further highlighted their willingness to work with the United States, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, had harshly criticized European countries at the beginning of the war, for what he considered a lack of support for the United States.

Several European countries committed to a defensive mission led by the United Kingdom and France to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, but their leaders made clear that the mission would not move forward while the war was ongoing.

Understand how tension in Hormuz affects ceasefire between the US and Iran

Source: CNN