War in Iran: Italy to deploy two minehunters near the Strait of Hormuz

Italy stands ready for a possible security operation in the Gulf. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced to Parliament on Wednesday that two mine-hunting ships would be gradually deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic area for world trade. The objective? That they can intervene quickly when conditions permit.

“Purely as a preventative measure, given the time required for the transfer and redeployment of assets, we plan to position two minesweepers relatively closer to the Strait” of Hormuz, Minister Guido Crosetto explained to Parliament.

A conditional mission

These two ships will be deployed “initially in the Eastern Mediterranean, then in the Red Sea, as part of the Mediterraneo Sicuro (Safe Mediterranean) and Aspides missions already underway,” said the minister.

Guido Crosetto insisted that the precondition for any military deployment would not be the “temporary” ceasefire currently in force between Iran and the United States, “but a real, credible and stable truce, or even better, a definitive peace”.

He also indicated that a possible mission to the Strait of Hormuz could only take place with the prior approval of parliamentarians.

In mid-April, several countries not directly involved in the conflict triggered on February 28 by the American-Israeli strikes on Iran said they were ready to set up a “neutral mission” in order to secure the strait, during a conference co-chaired in Paris by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in which Italy participated.

One month of navigation

The objective is “to support and secure merchant ships which will transit in the Gulf”, declared Emmanuel Macron, while Keir Starmer spoke of a “peaceful and defensive” force, a mission supposed to start when Iran and the United States agree to lift their respective blockades, and in consultation with these two countries.

“Today, 40 countries plan to help make the Strait of Hormuz free and navigable as soon as conditions permit. No less than 24 of these countries have already expressed their desire in principle to participate with highly specialized means, useful for example for demining the maritime zone,” the Italian Minister of Defense detailed to the deputies.

“In the event that peace comes, it would take almost a month of navigation for all the units of the allied nations (involved) to reach the Persian Gulf. This is why we are also organizing ourselves to get closer to this area while remaining at a safe distance,” he explained.