Trump, Starmer agree Strait of Hormuz must reopen as Middle East conflict escalates
President Donald Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, with a focus on the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore global shipping.
The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping, Downing Street said in a statement.
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“They agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market. They agreed to speak again soon.”
The call came amid a rapidly intensifying conflict in the region, with Iran blocking the strategically vital strait since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iranian targets on Feb. 28.
The military action triggered swift retaliation from Tehran and has since escalated into a broader regional war as Iran has sent missiles into numerous neighboring countries not directly involved in the initial conflict.
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On March 21, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran demanding the reopening of the key maritime route, through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that failure to comply would result in further U.S. action, including potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure.
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Sunday’s conversation between Trump and Starmer perhaps reflected a thaw in the tense relationship between the two leaders.
Trump had publicly criticized the U.K. government, stating that Britain “should have acted a lot faster” in allowing the U.S. to use British military bases for strikes targeting Iranian missile sites.
Starmer had also maintained that the use of U.K. bases could only be justified under the principle of “collective self-defense” in the region.
He had initially declined to support the U.S.-Israeli military operation, drawing repeated criticism from the White House.
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Meanwhile, Trump appeared to apply public pressure, sharing a “Saturday Night Live” clip Sunday mocking the British prime minister’s handling of the crisis.
Iran threatens mass ‘water war’ with strikes on key plants in days, UN official warns
Iran is poised to strike critical desalination infrastructure across the Middle East within days, escalating tensions with the U.S. and Israel and triggering global economic fallout, a U.N. official warned Sunday.
Kaveh Madani, an Iranian scientist and U.N. official, said desalination plants across the region could be hit “within the next few days,” raising the prospect of a broader regional water crisis and affecting global markets.
The strike threats made by the regime on Sunday came in response to President Donald Trump’s warning that the U.S. would hit Iranian power infrastructure unless the Strait of Hormuz was opened within 48 hours.
A spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya (PBUH) said, “Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted.”
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“The desalination plants might be targeted again within the next few days,” Madani told Fox News Digital.
“The driest region of the world might see a real water war, but the knock-on effects on the world’s economy, including the U.S., will be both immediate and lasting,” Madani said, pointing to what he described as a “new phase in the conflict” involving such critical civilian infrastructure.
“Now, add the possibility of damage to the already fragile water infrastructure, including treatment plants, pumping stations, and distribution networks,” he said. “The consequences would be catastrophic and lasting.”
Kaveh’s warning comes as the conflict — now in its fourth week — has expanded beyond military targets. Desalination facilities, including a plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island and another in Bahrain, have allegedly already been struck.
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Desalination, the process of creating drinkable water from seawater, is critical to supplying water across Israel and many of Iran’s Gulf neighbors, particularly in such arid regions where natural freshwater is scarce.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, echoed the regime’s threats in a post on X on Sunday, warning that “critical infrastructure, energy, and oil across the region will be irreversibly destroyed, and oil prices will rise for a long time” if Iran’s power plants are struck.
“With a blackout, water treatment and distribution systems will also collapse in some parts of the country,” Madani clarified.
“Iran will retaliate by attacking desalination, energy, and other energy-related infrastructure in all countries in the region that are parties to the war, including Israel,” he added. “The price of oil and gas will increase further, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, while a humanitarian disaster is created as millions of people lose access to water and electricity in the region.”
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“The U.S. has allegedly already attacked a desalination plant in Qeshm Island, and the Iranians have allegedly responded by striking a plant in Bahrain,” he said.
“Iran is the least reliant on desalination plants, so it is explicitly including them as legitimate targets for retaliation because this is the biggest vulnerability of the other parties to the war across the Middle East,” he added.
Despite that relative advantage, Iran itself has faced years of severe drought, mismanagement of water resources, and declining groundwater levels, leaving parts of the country increasingly water-stressed.
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“If Iranians run out of water and/or electricity, they won’t rise up,” Holly Dagres, Libitzky Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.
“The unfortunate truth is that the Islamic Republic would rather allow the country to burn than appear weak while it is facing an existential threat,” she said.
Jeffries tells Trump to keep his ‘reckless mouth shut’ after president calls Democratic Party ‘greatest enemy’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, rebuked President Donald Trump on Sunday and said he should keep his “reckless mouth shut” after the president called Democrats the “greatest enemy” in America.
“Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democratic Party! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Jeffries to react to the statement during Sunday’s “State of the Union.”
“Donald Trump should keep his reckless mouth shut before he gets somebody killed,” Jeffries said.
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Jeffries also spoke to Bash about the war in Iran, which he described as a “reckless war of choice.”
“They clearly didn’t anticipate some of the things that have happened, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. What you’re seeing right now are gas prices are through the roof, and that’s adding to an environment in America right now where life has already become too expensive for the American people because of failed policies by Donald Trump,” he said.
Jeffries did not say whether he would support any more funding for the Pentagon or whether he would urge Democrats to vote “no.”
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“Well, we’ll have that leadership conversation when we actually have a piece of legislation that is in front of us. But I can tell you, uh, there is strong opposition right now to the notion that this war of choice — that is reckless, that’s costing the American people now more than $30 billion — should continue. We need to move, which we plan on doing in short order, a War Powers Resolution so we can bring this situation to a close,” he said.
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Jeffries previously predicted the war would result in “failure” for the U.S.
“The American people want us to focus on making their life better and making their life more affordable; not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources, has found billions of dollars for bombs but can’t find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America,” Jeffries said.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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