The British government stated on Friday through the voice of Foreign Affairs Minister Yvette Cooper that Iran should not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage.
Quoted in the media from Paris, where she is attending a G7 meeting, the head of the Foreign Office emphasized the need for G7 countries to seek ways to “protect our global economy against countries that want to use it as a weapon against us.”
“As a G7 country, we have a common interest in coming together to discuss these issues and ways to protect our global economy against countries that want to use it as a weapon against us,” she said. Cooper also called for a “swift resolution” to the conflict in Iran, allowing the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with “protection for international maritime transportation.”
“We need this partnership, including diplomacy and discussions, because Iran cannot be allowed to hold the global economy hostage due to a strait that concerns international maritime routes and freedom of navigation, a principle strongly supported by the United Nations and many countries around the world.”
On the other hand, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in an interview with the British 24-hour news channel Sky News, spoke of the “frustration” caused by the economic impact of the war in the Middle East. “There is, of course, frustration,” said Mr. Starmer, emphasizing that the impact of the war should “mark us for a generation.”
Since the start of the war, the UK’s economic indicators have been shaken, with reports of a significant economic impact. On Thursday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned that the UK is expected to suffer the most significant impact from the war against Iran among the major global economies, with a high risk of recession and a sharp rise in inflation.
The organization also revised down its GDP growth projections for the UK to 0.7% this year, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from a previous forecast of 1.2%.
