The EU’s foreign policy chief says the bloc will boost ties to the GCC countries of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE amid the war, Al Jazeera reports.

“We will accelerate our work regarding the strategic partnership agreements with all six Gulf countries … and we are ready to frontload our security and defence cooperation,” Kallas told reporters.

She said the ceasefire is “under heavy strain” in the Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian firings on countries in the region.

Iran’s “grip on the world’s most important energy shipping line is untenable”, said Kallas, adding that the EU “is expanding its Iran sanctions tools to include those responsible for obstructing freedom of navigation”.