By Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer
BRUSSELS, March 15 (Reuters) – European Union foreign ministers will discuss on Monday bolstering a small naval mission in the Middle East but are not expected to decide on extending its role to the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, diplomats and officials say.
The EU’s Aspides mission was established in 2024 to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea. It currently has an Italian and a Greek ship under its direct command and can also call upon a French ship and another Italian vessel for support.
With the Strait of Hormuz largely shut off since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, some European officials have pondered whether the EU mission could be part of an effort to restore freedom of navigation in the Gulf.
Iran’s ability to choke off traffic through the strait, the conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, has emerged as a major threat to the global economy.
But EU officials and diplomats said ministers’ discussions on Monday in Brussels would likely focus on a push by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to add more ships to the mission.
“The conversation on Monday will be about trying to have more member states contribute further capacities,” said a senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
GERMAN MINISTER SCEPTICAL ABOUT EXPANSION TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday that Aspides – named after the Greek word for “shields” – was not even effective in carrying out its current task.
“That is why I am very sceptical that extending Aspides to the Strait of Hormuz would provide greater security,” he said in an interview with Germany’s ARD television.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries impacted by the curbing of oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz to join efforts to reopen shipping lanes.
France has been seeking to assemble a coalition to secure the strait once the security situation stabilizes, while Britain is discussing a range of options with allies to ensure the security of shipping, officials have said.
It is too early to say whether the EU as a bloc could play a role in any such initiative, diplomats and officials said. Any change to the mandate of Aspides would require the approval of all the EU’s 27 member countries.
“Protecting ships in the Strait of Hormuz in the current situation is a decision that won’t be taken lightly by ministers,” said an EU diplomat.
(Reporting by Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer; Writing by Andrew Gray; editing by Diane Craft)
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