The EU is considering deploying warships from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz.
Under pressure from rising oil prices and calls from the United States, the European Union (EU) is discussing deploying warships from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz to reopen the world's vital energy transit route.
Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels on March 16, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas said the bloc is seriously considering expanding the scope of the Aspides naval mission.
Deployed since 2024 to protect commercial ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides now includes three warships from France, Greece, and Italy. According to Ms. Kallas, adjusting Aspides' mission is the "quickest and easiest" way for the EU to enhance security in the Strait of Hormuz amid retaliatory attacks by Iran that have nearly paralyzed trade there.
"Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is in our core interest. If we want to ensure security in this region, leveraging and adapting an existing operation is the most viable option," Kallas emphasized.
Furthermore, the EU is also keeping open the possibility of forming a "coalition of voluntary parties" if the plan to expand Aspides faces obstacles in terms of consensus among the 27 member states.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed that Paris and its allies were preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strait. He also pledged to increase the contribution to Operation Aspides with two additional escort ships in the long term.
The EU's move comes just one day after US President Donald Trump delivered a tough message, warning NATO allies of a "very bad" future if they do not work together to open up the Strait of Hormuz.
Currently, disruptions in this strait – through which one-fifth of the world's crude oil and a large volume of natural gas are transported – have plunged world energy prices into serious instability.
