Germany will deploy a minesweeper to the Mediterranean Sea in the event of a possible deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, according to Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius.
“We will transfer a minesweeper to the Mediterranean and provide her with a command and supply ship,” Pistorius said in an interview on Saturday with German daily newspaper Rheinische Post (RP).
German military deployments abroad legally require the approval of the parliament. “In order to save time, we decided to deploy some of the German units to the Mediterranean early on so that we would not lose any more time after a mandate decision has been made,” the minister added.
Pistorius said that Germany’s navy is qualified at “detecting mines and clearing them” but stressed that such a mission would require an end to hostilities in the region.
“After all, we are one of the largest armed forces in Europe and therefore we must also take responsibility,” the defense minister said.
The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. The Islamic Republic responded through attacks on Israel, US bases in the region and neighboring countries in addition to blocking the strait, also laying mines in the narrow waterway.
The blocking of the strait has severe consequences for the world economy as about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply cross it annually.
