The European Union refuses to expand its naval mission to include the Strait of Hormuz
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced that EU foreign ministers showed no desire at their meeting to expand the bloc's mission in the Red Sea to include contributing to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz .
Speaking at a press conference on Monday after a meeting of the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states in Brussels, Klass said that resuming the flow of shipments of “fertilizers, food and energy” was an “urgent priority.”.
But she added that the proposal to change the mandate of “Operation Aspidis,” the bloc’s mission in the Red Sea to help secure the strait, did not receive much enthusiasm from member states.
While Klass noted “a clear desire in our discussions to strengthen this process,” she explained that “at the moment, there was no desire to change the mandate.”.
She continued: “No one wants to be actively involved in this war.”.
The options available
Before the meeting, Callas said, “It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that is why we are also looking into what we can do in this regard.”.
She added that one of the options being considered is changing the mandate of “Operation Aspidis,” the European Union’s mission in the Red Sea.
She believed that this would be the fastest way for the bloc's countries to enhance security in the Strait of Hormuz.
However, several countries within the bloc, including Italy, Spain and Germany, expressed their disapproval of the idea.
Securing navigation through the strait
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump called on NATO countries to contribute to helping Washington secure shipping through the strait, warning that NATO could face a very bad future unless allies take this step.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that Paris and its allies were preparing for a defensive mission to reopen the strait, and pledged to increase his country's contribution to the Aspidis mission.
