London, March 19 -- The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan on Thursday condemned the Iranian attacks on unarmed commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations, in the Gulf as the conflict in the region escalates.

In a joint statement, the countries expressed concern over the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces and called on Tehran to immediately halt threats, mine-laying, drone and missile attacks, and other actions that block the Strait, urging compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817.

"Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the United Nations Convention on the...