Germany moves two ships to Djibouti, eyeing multinational Hormuz mission this summer

VIENNA — The German Navy is moving two ships to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s defense minister confirmed on Thursday. Speaking to the press before a meeting of NATO defense chiefs in Brussels, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said that the mine-clearing ship Fulda and the supply ship Mosel had passed the Suez Canal. They are bound for Djibouti, which they are expected to reach in five to seven days and where they will be refueled and restocked.A total of 140 German soldiers are aboard the ships, according to the German Ministry of Defense, including mine clearance divers, vessel protection teams and “autonomous systems.”The two ships are currently operating under the EU operation Aspides, which was launched in response to the strikes against commercial ships by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. During their Red Sea transit, the ships will contribute to the situational awareness of the EU naval mission as a whole, the German MOD said in a press release. A mission in the Strait of Hormuz would require separate parliamentary approval, Pistorius said. The Ministry of Defense said it intended to present a corresponding resolution to the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, before the summer recess, which is set to begin on Jul. 10. Additional preconditions for a German involvement in the strait include a durable end to hostilities surrounding Iran, as well as an international mandate.France’s Mediterranean armada signals clout as Middle East may rethink alliancesPistorius also outlined the need for a “permissive environment” on Thursday, saying that included “in particular, the consent of Iran and Oman for the relevant mine-clearing activities.”He welcomed the negotiated cessation of hostilities between the U.S. and Iran but said the details of any possible German mission would depend significantly on the outcome of negotiations between Washington and Tehran over the course of the next 60 days