Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has urged the United States to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes. He framed free passage through the chokepoint as 'essential to ease cost-of-living pressures on British families' ahead of his first one-to-one meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. BBC News

The Washington meeting was arranged after the two men met on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' summit in the Philippines, where Miliband made his debut as foreign secretary. Rubio issued the invitation following that encounter. BBC News

The sit-down carries political weight on both sides of the Atlantic. The White House was reported to be concerned about Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to hand Miliband the Foreign Office brief, owing to Miliband's previous criticism of Donald Trump as a racist and a misogynist. US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens said Miliband had been 'wrong' in 2016 to call Trump 'a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper'. BBC News

The Strait of Hormuz was open before the US and Israel launched the war in February. Trade disruption through it has since driven up fuel and food prices, linking a Middle Eastern security crisis directly to household budgets in the UK and beyond. BBC News

Reuters reported that Iran had halted most traffic through the Strait while Washington maintained a blockade of Iran-related shipping and ports. The chokepoint has been a focal point of US policy throughout the conflict. On May 25, 2026, Rubio told reporters that resolving the war hinged on the Strait of Hormuz and that the US would find another way if talks with Iran failed. The following day, Rubio said the Strait 'has to be open one way or the other', referring to US strikes on Iran the previous day. Reuters Reuters Reuters

Rubio has also indicated that progress had been made in discussions with Iran and Oman on getting more ships through the Strait. The status of those discussions remains uncertain. Reuters

Beyond the bilateral meeting with Rubio, Miliband planned to meet World Bank President Ajay Banga during his Washington visit. The agenda for that session covered development, climate change and strengthening global resilience. Miliband was also due to take the UK's seat on the World Bank board. BBC News

The broader context here is a test of whether the so-called special relationship can function at working level when the personalities involved have a documented history of mutual suspicion. Miliband's decision to lead with the Strait of Hormuz, rather than trade or defence burden-sharing, is a deliberate framing choice. It ties a foreign-policy ask to domestic economic pressure, the area where a British government has most leverage in persuading a transactionally minded White House that cooperation serves its interests.

Rubio's own language on Hormuz has been consistent since May. His phrase 'one way or the other' suggests a willingness to use force to keep the waterway open, which aligns with the US strikes referenced in late May. Whether Miliband, whose party base is instinctively sceptical of military intervention, can sign on to that posture without reservation is one of the questions the visit poses. The fact that Stephens publicly rebuked Miliband's past remarks about Trump signals that the US embassy in London is not inclined to let the matter drop quietly.

For Westminster watchers, the visit also functions as an early read on Burnham's foreign-policy posture. The Prime Minister placed a figure with deep domestic policy instincts and a track record on climate and energy into the Foreign Office. The World Bank meeting, with its emphasis on development and global resilience, plays to Miliband's established interests. The Rubio meeting, by contrast, requires him to navigate a relationship that began with a public rebuke from the US ambassador.

The economic stakes are concrete. Disruption through Hormuz has already fed through to fuel and food prices. If the Strait remains largely closed, the inflationary effects will compound, with direct implications for the Treasury's fiscal arithmetic and for the cost of the government's domestic programme. Miliband's argument to Rubio is likely to be that reopening the Strait is not simply a security objective but an economic necessity for both economies.

All of this unfolds against a war that began in February and shows no clear signs of resolution. The status of US-Iran talks remains uncertain. Oman has been mediating. Rubio has hinted at progress on shipping, but the waterway is still largely shut. Miliband arrives in Washington with leverage that is limited but not negligible. The UK retains a seat on the World Bank board, a voice in international institutions, and a diplomatic network that can support US objectives. Whether that is enough to move the dial on Hormuz, or simply to establish that the relationship is functional despite its personal frictions, is the question the visit will answer.