In a brief Downing Street readout issued on 13 June 2026, Sir Keir Starmer’s office said the Prime Minister spoke with US President Donald Trump that afternoon. The statement said the Prime Minister backed President Trump’s effort to bring the conflict with Iran to an end, welcomed what it described as progress, and stressed that any agreement must produce a durable and lasting peace. (gov.uk) The same readout said the UK is ready to help implement any peace agreement, that both leaders see restored freedom of navigation as necessary to reduce the global economic shock, and that they will speak again around next week’s G7 summit. (gov.uk)
The wording is consistent with the line Downing Street has taken since the April ceasefire. In the 8 April joint leaders’ statement, the UK joined partners in welcoming a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, called for a swift and lasting negotiated settlement, and said diplomacy was the only route to a durable end to the war. (gov.uk) A further 9 April call between Starmer and Trump moved from ceasefire politics to operational questions. According to that Downing Street note, the two leaders discussed restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and getting shipping moving again, indicating that maritime access has been treated by London as part of the peace process rather than a separate file. (gov.uk)
The new commitment to support the implementation of any settlement is the most practical element of the 13 June statement. Read alongside earlier UK and joint UK-French communications, it points to a package that could include diplomatic co-ordination with allies, work with the International Maritime Organisation and the shipping industry, and backing for maritime security arrangements once conditions permit. That is an inference from earlier government planning, rather than a new commitment announced on 13 June. (gov.uk) Those earlier documents are unusually specific. The 2 April Foreign Secretary-led meeting discussed releasing trapped ships and sailors, information-sharing with operators and expert-level work to reopen the Strait, while the 12 May multinational mission statement described support for civilian shipping, reassurance for commercial operators and mine-clearance operations in a permissive environment. (gov.uk)
That helps explain why the Downing Street readout gives equal weight to diplomacy and navigation. The UK government has repeatedly described the Strait of Hormuz as a critical maritime corridor for oil, refined fuels, liquefied natural gas and fertiliser, warning that disruption affects supply chains, prices and economic stability well beyond the Gulf. (gov.uk) HM Treasury made the domestic link explicit in mid-April, warning that renewed hostilities or disruption to shipping through the Strait could raise costs for households and businesses by hitting energy security and supply chains. In that sense, the reference to freedom of navigation is not rhetorical; it goes directly to inflation, trade flows and commercial confidence. (gov.uk)
The timing also matters. Downing Street said the leaders looked ahead to next week’s G7 summit, and Canada’s Global Affairs department has confirmed that France holds the 2026 G7 presidency and will host the Leaders’ Summit in Évian-les-Bains from 15 to 17 June 2026. (gov.uk) This makes the call a preparatory exchange before a wider leader-level discussion. It is reasonable to expect, based on the UK’s earlier April and May statements, that any G7 conversation will cover not only ceasefire durability but also shipping access, international law, market stability and the mechanics of collective support if a settlement holds. (gov.uk)
For policy readers, the main point is that Downing Street did not move beyond broad policy headings. The readout set out support for US-led diplomacy, readiness to help make an agreement stick and continued pressure to restore normal maritime transit, but it did not publish an implementation plan or new operational detail. (gov.uk) Taken together, the statement suggests that London sees the next phase as administrative as much as diplomatic. That is an inference from the government’s own framing: if talks produce terms, ministers have already signalled that shipping access, market confidence, mine clearance, industry co-ordination and collective international backing will determine whether a ceasefire becomes durable practice. (gov.uk)