Trump Calls Strait Crisis "Urgent" Two Days After Canceling Iran Talks
President Donald Trump discussed the "urgent need" to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during a Sunday call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to a Downing Street readout, two days after canceling U.S. negotiations with Iran that were meant to address that exact crisis.
Trump told Fox News on Friday that he had called off a planned trip by negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for Iran talks, saying he told them "you're not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing." By Sunday, he was on the phone with Starmer discussing what a Downing Street spokesperson described as "severe consequences for the global economy and cost of living" from the blocked shipping lane.
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply through a 21-mile-wide channel between Iran and Oman, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. When Iran disrupts traffic there, whether through military action or the threat of it, global energy prices spike and supply chains freeze. The very consequences Trump and Starmer discussed Sunday are the ones the canceled talks were designed to prevent.
The mechanism connecting strait closures to consumer impact operates through oil futures markets and refinery supply contracts. When tanker traffic slows through Hormuz, Brent crude futures typically jump 5-10 percent within days, according to energy market analysts. European refineries, which source approximately 15 percent of their crude through the strait per EIA data, must then bid higher prices for alternative supplies from the Atlantic Basin or draw down strategic reserves. Those increased costs reach consumers through gasoline and diesel prices within two to three weeks, as existing fuel inventories cycle through distribution networks. Heating oil prices in Britain and France, already elevated during winter months, face additional pressure when Middle East supply routes close.
During the call, Starmer briefed Trump on a joint initiative with French President Emmanuel Macron to restore freedom of navigation through the strait, according to the Downing Street statement. The European effort fills a diplomatic vacuum created by Trump's withdrawal from negotiations. Unlike the United States, European nations cannot simply walk away from Middle East crises. Geographic proximity and energy dependence mean that when the strait closes, their economies suffer immediately.
Trump's position on the negotiations shifted between Friday and Sunday. After canceling the Pakistan talks, he posted on Truth Social that Iran could "call us anytime they want" but that the U.S. would not make additional trips. He added: "The U.S.A. won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us." That isolationist framing lasted less than 48 hours before he was coordinating with allies on the same crisis.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Trump had expressed willingness to end the war with Iran without requiring the strait to reopen first, citing administration officials. That reporting suggested Trump might accept a deal that left the shipping disruption in place. Sunday's call with Starmer indicates either a change in position or a gap between what Trump tells his negotiators and what he tells allies.
The timeline reveals a pattern visible across Trump's recent diplomatic moves: declare talks unproductive, pull American negotiators, then turn to allies to manage the fallout. Trump canceled Iran negotiations while simultaneously telling European leaders that America "won't be there to help" them, yet within days he needed Britain's diplomatic infrastructure to address the crisis he had walked away from.
Starmer's conversation with Macron about restoring navigation, as reported by Downing Street, suggests European leaders are building their own diplomatic track separate from U.S. efforts. That represents a shift from traditional Middle East diplomacy, where American power typically anchored any serious negotiation. When Trump says Iran can call "anytime they want," he puts the burden on Tehran to initiate contact. Meanwhile, Starmer and Macron are actively building a framework to solve the problem.
The question Trump's Friday cancellation and Sunday urgency leave unanswered is who actually holds responsibility for resolving the crisis. Trump pulled his negotiators from talks designed to address Hormuz, declared the discussions worthless, then days later called the situation urgent enough to require allied intervention. Either the crisis was never worth negotiating over, or it was urgent all along and Trump walked away anyway.
Iran has not publicly responded to Trump's statement that they can call anytime. The canceled Pakistan talks represented a neutral-ground option for both sides. Without that venue, any new negotiations would require one side to travel to the other's preferred location or for a third country to volunteer as host. Starmer's joint initiative with Macron may provide that alternative, but it also means European leaders are doing the diplomatic work Trump characterized as "talking about nothing."