05/10/2026

13.00 Conservative Middle East Council

Hyatt Regency Birmingham : Concerto

Iran's hold on Hormuz: What are the implications for the UK, the MENA region, and the world?

Chaired by The Rt. Hon. Kit Malthouse MP (Chairman, The Conservative Middle East Council, Member of Parliament)
John Sfakanakias (The Gulf Research Center , Chief Economist and Director of Economic Research)
Nicholas Hopton (The Middle East Association , Director General (Former UK Ambassador))
Con Coughlin (The Daily Telegraph, Executive Defence Editor)

The US's launch of "Operation Epic Fury" in February 2026 has resulted (at time of print), not in the toppling of the Iranian Regime, but Iran's strangle-hold over the Strait of Hormuz, and the world economy. What are the implications for the UK's security and economy? And why should foreign policy even matter to our domestically-focussed UK political system?