Plans are slowly taking shape for a potential European military deployment in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a government spokesperson, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is scheduled to travel to Paris this Friday for consultations on the issue.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting partners in the French capital on Friday. Expected attendees include British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with other heads of government anticipated to join by video link. The goal of these discussions is to reach a political consensus on the foundational aspects of the mission, which is considered sensitive in many ways. One report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that France aims for a deployment that excludes the parties that have been involved in the Gulf conflicts, including the US.
Reports from Die Welt indicate that Europeans had already been consulting within NATO several weeks prior about a military operation intended to protect the Strait of Hormuz. Eight to ten nations, including France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and Germany, allegedly signaled their basic readiness to participate in such an operation. The stated objective is to secure maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which includes oil tankers. Discussions covered the necessity of equipping the operation with surface reconnaissance vessels and anti-mine ships.
However, a concrete deployment by the German armed forces was not discussed. According to a NATO source cited by Die Welt, internal NATO talks had established that a ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for any military operation, meaning Iran, on its part, must not block the traffic. Nevertheless, shortly after these planning sessions, the situation escalated, with the US announcing a sea blockade. Consequently, while the operation was not planned in greater detail, it has remained a recurring topic of discussion.