Germany plans minesweeper deployment for possible Hormuz mission

Germany will soon send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean for a possible future mission in the Strait of Hormuz, German officials said, as Berlin prepares for a potential international operation to protect shipping after the end of the US-Iran war.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany would dispatch a minesweeper and provide a command-and-support vessel, though he did not specify exactly when the ship would depart. A defense ministry spokeswoman later said the navy’s Fulda would be deployed in the coming days with a crew of about 45.

She said the aim was to make a “significant and visible contribution” to an international coalition seeking to protect freedom of navigation in the strait. Any actual deployment to Hormuz, however, would require a lasting end to hostilities and approval from Germany’s lower house of parliament.

Pistorius had already said about a week ago that Germany was preparing for a possible mission. His comments came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said such an operation would need a legal basis, such as a UN Security Council resolution, as well as approval from the German government and parliament.