Australia ready for Hormuz mission if asked, new defense chief says

Britain would not be dragged into the war involving Iran and does not support a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Starmer said it was vital to ensure the key waterway remained open.

“It is, in my view, vital that we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put all of our efforts,” he said.

Restoration of Iran’s internet access would depend on a decision by security officials, Iran’s government spokeswoman said on Monday.

Fatemeh Mohajerani made the comment to Iran-based news website Didban Iran when asked about the timing of reconnecting internet access in Iran.

She did not give a timeline for when the internet shutdown would end.

China urged all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to launch a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following failed talks with Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said keeping the key waterway safe, stable and unimpeded served the common interest of the international community.

China stands ready to work with all sides to safeguard energy security and supply, Guo told a regular press conference.

Commenting on talks in Islamabad, he said the opening of negotiations between the United States and Iran was a step toward easing the situation.

He added that China hoped all parties would abide by the ceasefire.

Guo also said China had always adopted a prudent and responsible approach to its military exports.

CNN reported late on Friday that US intelligence indicated Beijing was preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks.

US restrictions on Iran’s vessels are illegal and “amount to piracy,” Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said on Monday and warned that Tehran would impose a permanent mechanism to control the Strait of Hormuz after US threats to blockade it.

“If the security of the Islamic Republic’s ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman will remain safe,” said the headquarters’ spokesman.

He added that, after the end of the war, Iran would enforce a lasting mechanism for controlling the Strait of Hormuz.

The US plan for a naval blockade of Iran’s ports shows “confusion and a lack of a proper and workable strategy,” said an Iranian lawmaker on Monday.

Vahid Ahmadi, a member of parliament’s national security committee, said any maritime blockade of the Islamic Republic would lead to wider global energy crises.

“The first place where it would create a flood is the economy of Western countries and the Americans,” he said.

He added that the United States had believed it could achieve at the negotiating table at least some of what it failed to gain in war.