UK, China and Japan among countries debating whether to send ships to strait of Hormuz | Strait of Hormuz
Countries including Britain, Japan, China and South Korea said they were still considering their options after US President Donald Trump called on them to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to secure the vital shipping route.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump called on Britain, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the waterway, the world’s busiest shipping route, which is fiercely blockaded by Iran.
Trump claimed in his post that “many countries, especially those affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships together with the United States to keep the strait open and safe.”
In a later post, Trump expanded on his call to send military support to “all countries of the world that receive oil through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Tehran in retaliation for US and Israeli bombing was disastrous for global energy and trade flows, causing the largest oil supply disruption in history and rising global oil prices.
However, the international response to Trump’s call for a ready deployment of warships to the strait has so far been vague and reluctant; countries were unwilling to commit to a military response that could be treacherous for their navies.
Tehran has said that any oil tanker bound for the United States, Israel or its allies is a legitimate target in war and will be “immediately destroyed.” 16 tankers have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since the war began in late February, and Iran has threatened to lay explosive mines in the critical waterway. So far, the United States has not sent its own navy ships to escort tankers passing through the strait.
In a statement made by the UK Ministry of Defense, it was stated that they were in talks with allies on “a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region”.
Speaking to the BBC, Energy Minister Ed Miliband said that Britain was talking to the USA and other allies about how to keep the strait open and was considering sending mine hunter planes. “Any options that could help reopen the strait are being looked at,” Miliband said.
A senior Japanese politician told news channel NHK TV that Japan would not rule out sending warships to the region to secure the shipping lane, but the hurdles were too high.
“From a legal perspective, this possibility cannot be ruled out, but given that the dispute is ongoing, it is something we need to consider cautiously. I think the hurdle is very high,” said Takayuki Kobayashi, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic party’s policy research council.
South Korea, which is heavily dependent on the energy flow through the strait, said they took Trump’s comments into account but said they would communicate closely with the United States and review the situation before making any decisions on how to ensure the security of the shipping route.
“Our government is closely monitoring developments regarding the situation in the Middle East,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was “exploring various measures from various angles to protect our citizens and ensure the security of energy transportation routes.”
France had already made its position clear before Trump’s statements. Speaking on Thursday, French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said that France will not send warships to the Strait of Hormuz at a time when conflicts continue to escalate.
“I am very clear and determined on this issue; sending any ships to the Strait of Hormuz is out of the question at this stage,” Vautrin said. He said France maintained a “purely defensive posture” and that there were no current plans to remove the French navy’s flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier from the Eastern Mediterranean.
Speaking in Cyprus at the beginning of the week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and its allies were preparing a “purely defensive” mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but only after the “most intense phase” of the US-Israeli war against Iran ended. Macron described it as a “pure escort mission” with participation from both European and non-European countries.
EU foreign ministers are also considering expanding the scope of the EU’s Aspides naval mission, which currently protects ships in Yemen from attacks by Houthi rebels, to the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Financial Times. The Aspides naval mission currently consists of three ships from France, Italy and Greece.
There was no mention of military intervention in China’s response. As an ally of Iran, which is heavily dependent on crude oil imports through the Strait, China is reportedly in talks with the Iranian regime about allowing oil tankers to pass through the Gulf, but no definitive outcome has been agreed upon.
In a statement made to CNN by the Chinese embassy in Washington over the weekend, it was stated that China will work to strengthen “communication with relevant parties” in the Middle East and “play a constructive role in reducing tensions and restoring peace.”
