European countries are drawing up a plan for how to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. This is reported by unnamed officials to the Wall Street Journal.
The plan also includes contributing minesweepers and other military vessels to remove naval mines in the important strait. This will only happen after the war is over, the newspaper writes. The goal is for shipping companies to feel safe again about sailing through the strait. This is something that may take time, the Wall Street Journal emphasizes.
At present, a two-week temporary ceasefire is in effect. The plan involves a number of countries - including Germany, says a senior source in Berlin. But it does not include the United States, Israel or Iran, which are parties to the war that resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote earlier Tuesday on the social media X that France and Britain are hosting a conference in Paris on Friday. It is about "restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions permit".
The conference is to bring together countries not directly involved in the conflict in Iran for discussions via video link.
- The summit will advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to protect international shipping once the conflict is over, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said, according to the AFP news agency.
Starmer said on Monday that Britain has brought together more than 40 countries. Macron said in March that France and its allies were preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strategically important waterway.
- Several dozen countries have already taken part in the preparatory work, led in particular by the defense chiefs to establish the framework for such a mission, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told Radio France Internationale earlier Tuesday.
In his post on X, Macron also called for negotiations between the United States and Iran to resume as soon as possible. The US Vice President, J.D. Vance, led a delegation that met with Iranian negotiators in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, over the weekend. However, the negotiations ended without an agreement - and also without an immediate breakthrough.
/ritzau/
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
