ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A UK-led meeting with over 40 countries about the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday ended with a call for its “immediate and unconditional reopening,” according to a statement from the British government.

“Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz. They must not prevail. To that effect, partners today called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait and respect for the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and the law of the sea,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement.

As a pressure tactic in its war against the US and Israel, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil, sharply driving up oil prices.

The countries agreed to increase diplomatic pressure, including through the UN, to “send clear and co-ordinated messages to Iran to permit unimpeded transit passage” through the strait, explore coordinated economic and political measures such as further sanctions on Iran, and joint efforts “with the International Maritime Organization to secure the release of thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the Strait and get shipping moving again.”

Countries from around the world participated in the meeting, including France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, the UAE, and Turkey.

“This meeting showed clearly the determination of the international community to secure freedom of navigation and re-open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a direct threat to global prosperity,” Cooper said.

European countries have largely been reluctant to fully enter the conflict thus far. Even though countries like the UK have flown daily sorties in the Middle East and shot down Iranian drones, the Europeans have not directly joined the offensive on Iran.

US President Donald Trump has criticized EU member states for not getting involved, calling them “cowards.”

Trump on Tuesday called on countries struggling with a jet fuel crisis due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to either buy from the US or “build up some delayed courage, get to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.”

“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” he said, calling out the UK directly.

Yemen’s Houthis announced their entry into the war on Saturday by launching an attack against Israel. The Houthis’ entry into the war lends the Iranian side of the conflict yet another global economic pressure card, as blocking passage through the Red Sea would compound the already substantial impact that the Hormuz blockade has inflicted on the global economy.