The coalition of mainly NATO countries, including South Korea, Australia and Japan, is meeting in Paris on Friday and is expected to announce the broad outline of a plan to resume navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
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The mission is set to include military ships, escorts, armed forces, intelligence, mine-clearing operations and radar capabilities. Some European countries have already sent vessels to the region, Euronews has confirmed.
European leaders have been on the back foot since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on 28 February, resulting in Iran’s closure of the vital shipping passage causing havoc with the global economy, with Europe particularly impacted.
The continued effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz first by Iran and now by the US is set to trigger even more economic pain if efforts fail to secure a lasting ceasefire.
Indirect talks to extend the current ceasefire are ongoing, with some optimism that it can be extended beyond 22 April, when it is due to expire.
The White House feels “good about the prospects of a deal”, US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists Wednesday in Washington.
‘Aim is to move beyond planning’
Military strategists from NATO and other coalition members have been working on the plan for the last few weeks. The leaders spearheading the mission are resolute that the mandate will be “strictly defensive,” and they are not prepared to enter into an expensive, hot conflict.
The Netherlands has sent frigates along with military personnel ahead of the rollout of a future operation.
“The aim is that we now move beyond planning, and preposition vessels in the region to be ready to act when the conflict subsides,” a NATO source told Euronews.
“But it’ll be on the defensive side of things, with vessels, sensors, radars and demining ships,” the source added.
The meeting will take place in a hybrid format. Most countries will attend online, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Frederich Merz joining French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in person.
Chancellor Merz said Thursday that any German participation in a mission to secure the strait could occur only after “at the very least a provisional ceasefire” and approval by the government in Berlin and parliament.
“We are still a long way from that,” he said.
NATO countries were initially adamant that the war was not their responsibility because they had not been consulted in advance. But they were pushed to come up with a plan to kick-start the strait’s functioning after US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to NATO allies to have one “within days”.
Trump made his position clear to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during his official trip to Washington last week.
“It’s safe to say the secretary general had specific conclusions from his conversation with Trump” during Rutte’s visit to the White House, said the NATO source.
“There was real frustration from Trump, and it was made clear we needed to get into action,” the source said.
‘Strictly defensive mission’
International shipping and global oil and gas prices have skyrocketed as a direct consequence of the blockade. Around 20% of the world’s oil is transported through the strait – a vital waterway located between Iran and Oman, connecting the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
However, Iran has allowed its own oil to be transported and has kept the passage open for some of its allies, China and Turkey.
On Monday, Trump imposed a US blockade of maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports.
The move is designed to pressure some of Iran’s allies to persuade Iran to lift its own blockade. It’s also designed to hamper Tehran’s ability to profit from oil exports.
The overall mandate of the mission is as yet unclear, but it is unlikely to be NATO-authorised, as the coalition insists operations don’t include the US, a key NATO ally, but also a party to the conflict.
“The coalition wants to ensure this mission is not associated with the combatants – in this case the US and Israel,” a person with knowledge of the preparations told Euronews.
Macron said the “strictly defensive mission” would be “separate from the warring parties”, in a post on X.
A UN mandate or the expansion of the EU’s Aspides mandate have both been discussed, but a decision by the UN Security Council for such an operation would be very difficult to achieve.
Despite the high number of countries willing to commit resources, many risks exist for an operation of such deep complexity, experts say.
“There’s always the possibility we’ll we be drawn into a broader conflict,” Ed Arnold, senior research fellow of European security at RUSI, told Euronews.
“If you’re not prepared to join the war, then maybe don’t do the first part, because the Iranians will know that the Europeans aren’t much of a deterrence force,” said Arnold.
