35 Countries Signed Starmer's Hormuz Statement — But None Will Send Warships Yet

35 countries signed Keir Starmer's statement on Hormuz maritime security. Here is which countries signed, what they committed to, and why none of them are actually sending warships yet.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on April 1, 2026 that 35 countries have signed a statement committing to 'work together on restoring maritime security' in the Strait of Hormuz, with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper leading a conference on the issue and military planners working on 'potential plans to implement once the war ends.' CBS News confirmed the specific framing: the 35 nations want to reopen the strait — but not while fighting is ongoing.

For the specific coalition structure: 35 nations represents significant diplomatic breadth but the particular action those 35 nations have committed to is diplomatic and planning rather than operational. The specific phrase 'once the war ends' is the particular qualifier that separates declaration from deployment — these countries are preparing plans rather than implementing them.

For France's specific action relative to the 35-nation statement: the French Navy has committed to sending two frigates to escort vessels through the strait under Operation Aspides — the specific French-led European naval escort mission whose operational deployment is further advanced than the 35-nation statement alone. France's action creates the particular test case for whether the declaration translates into the specific operational commitment that reopening Hormuz requires.

For Russia's specific position: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to the 35-nation effort by saying any Hormuz initiative must 'involve the consent of the nations that border it, including Iran' — the particular veto-by-proxy that positions Russian support for Iranian sovereignty as the diplomatic obstacle to any collective security arrangement that bypasses Iran's agreement.

For the Trump criticism of the coalition: Trump has urged specific allied nations to 'dispatch warships to secure crucial oil supply routes' and has been criticising both Australia and Britain for what he characterises as insufficient action. Starmer's 35-nation declaration is the particular response whose specific gap between declaration and deployment Trump's specific demands expose.