Iran War & Hormuz — 2026-04-22

30+ nations convene at UK joint headquarters to detail Hormuz reopening operation

Military planners from more than 30 nations began a two-day conference April 22 at the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood to translate the April 17 Macron-Starmer summit communique into a detailed operational plan for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the UK government announced. The talks focus on capabilities, command and control, and force deployment, with implementation contingent on a sustainable ceasefire. The Northwood conference follows the 40-nation Paris political summit co-chaired by Macron and Starmer and attended by Gulf, European and Asian foreign and defense officials. Roughly one-fifth of global oil traffic moves through the Strait, which Iran has effectively closed since late February.

Analysis
Northwood gives the April 17 communique an operational spine, pairing Kallas's Hormuz-blockader designation threat, the legal hook, with a kinetic backstop Tehran cannot dismiss as diplomatic cover, shifting the reopening question from whether to when and on what terms. With 30-plus nations now committed to detailed capability and C2 planning per the UK government's own announcement, corroborated by Al-Monitor and Free Malaysia Today, a public command framework almost certainly emerges within 30 days even with execution gated on a sustainable ceasefire. Iran likely escalates maritime harassment in the interim to raise the coalition's entry cost.
3 sources
  1. UK and France to lead multinational Strait of Hormuz military planning conference - UK Government
  2. Military planners to discuss Hormuz reopening in London - Al-Monitor
  3. UK, France to lead multinational military talks on Strait of Hormuz - Free Malaysia Today

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