European countries are preparing a broad alliance to secure maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, tells Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The newspaper says that the plan includes mine clearance and sending warships to the area. The operation would only start after the end of the war, and the US might be left out of it.
President of France Emmanuel Macron according to this, it is an international defense operation in which the “warring parties”, i.e. the United States, Israel and Iran, would not participate. According to WSJ’s European diplomatic sources, the ships would not operate under American command.
The goal is to restore shipping companies’ confidence that it is safe to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after the fighting has stopped.
The WSJ says that Germany is likely to join the operation. For example, Germany has minesweepers, which the United States has few of today. Germany’s participation, however, requires approval from the country’s parliament. Germany could also help in monitoring the area.
Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are hosting a meeting on Friday this week to discuss the control of the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is not participating in the meeting. China and India have been invited to the meeting, but their participation is uncertain.
The plan reflects both the strained relations between Europe and the United States and the differing views of European leaders. Some European officials fear that leaving the US out of the plan could anger the president Donald Trump’swho is already dissatisfied with Europe anyway.
Trump has already demanded that Europe send warships to help open the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic. The Europeans have refused.
According to France’s Macron, opening the strait by force is “unrealistic”, as it would be a long-term operation that would subject ships passing through the strait to Iranian counterattacks.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the planned operation has three main goals. The first is to help the ships blocked due to the war out of the strait. Another is demining. European countries have a total of more than 150 clearing vessels, while the United States has largely given up its own equipment. The third goal is to start using warships to regularly monitor the strait and escort merchant ships passing through it.
According to experts interviewed by the WSJ, a Western military presence in the Strait of Hormuz is necessary for insurance companies and shipping companies to dare to return to the area. About a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes through the strait.