Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will host a virtual meeting of around 35 countries on Thursday to discuss viable diplomatic measures for reopening the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels.

Iran has effectively blocked the strait with a mix of threats, including drones, missiles, and potentially mines, since the US and Israel attacked the country on 28 February. As a result, global energy prices have risen.

At a Downing Street news conference earlier, UK PM Keir Starmer said the best way to address rising costs of living is to push for de-escalation and ensure the strait is reopened.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is strongly considering pulling the US out of Nato, according to an interview he gave to the Telegraph.

The newspaper says Trump called the alliance a "paper tiger" and claimed the UK does not have a navy.

Asked if he would reconsider the US's membership of the alliance after the conflict in the Middle East, Trump said: “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration...

“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he added, referring to the state of Britain’s fleet of warships.

(Source: BBC)