British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the UK is “not supporting a blockade” of Iranian ports, stressing that the government’s priority is reopening the Strait of Hormuz to bring down energy prices.

“Our response is focused on getting the Strait of Hormuz opened because that’s the way we get energy prices down as quickly as possible,” Starmer told BBC Radio 5.

When asked whether he holds US President Donald Trump personally responsible for the impact on UK energy bills, Starmer did not answer directly, saying instead that the “single most important thing” he can do is bring countries together to push for de-escalation and the reopening of the strait.

He added that Iran is responsible for restricting traffic through the Gulf and said the UK is “not getting dragged into the war.”

US President Donald Trump announced a blockade on Iranian ports that will take effect at 1400GMT on Monday.

The US naval blockade announcement came after Washington and Tehran held rare direct talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad over the weekend to end the war that started on Feb. 28, while the talks failed to produce an agreement. (AA)