Iran has assured that “non-hostile ships” could use the strait, but “any assets belonging to the aggressors” – the United States and Israel – and their allies cannot pass.
A thirty military chiefs from around the world will gather at the initiative of Paris and London to discuss the creation of a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, a source at the British Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday, March 25 to AFP.
According to this source, this meeting will involve the “chiefs of staff of the armed forces” of the countries that signed a statement last week calling for a moratorium on attacks against oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf and expressing readiness to contribute to efforts to secure the strait.
This joint statement, initiated by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan, has since been approved by thirty countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
British Chief of Staff Richard Knighton and his French counterpart Fabien Mandon are “aware of the role they have to play in bringing this coalition together and helping the international community develop a plan for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible,” it was further specified.
Several British media outlets, including The Guardian and The Times, have also indicated that London has proposed to host an international conference on the security of the Strait of Hormuz in Portsmouth or London to establish a coalition of countries committed to this mission.
Following the end of strikes
Such a mission could aim to eliminate the mines that Iran has been accused by several countries of placing in the strait.
However, several countries, including France, Italy, and Germany, have warned that no operation could take place in the current context of strikes in the region.
Since the start of the conflict triggered on February 28 by Israeli-American strikes on Iran, the near-paralysis by Tehran of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil production and liquefied natural gas normally pass, has caused a sharp rise in oil prices and had a global economic impact.
Iran has assured that “non-hostile ships” could use the strait, in a statement transmitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency responsible for maritime security, and published on Tuesday.
However, “any assets belonging to the aggressors – namely the United States and the Israeli regime – as well as to other participants in the aggression cannot claim a peaceful or non-hostile passage,” Tehran specified.
Several countries, including France and the United Kingdom, have deployed military assets in the region for interception operations against Iranian strikes, and authorize the United States to use some of their military bases to conduct “defensive” operations against Iran.
