Berlin considers pulling naval forces from Strait of Hormuz mission

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has not ruled out the return of German Navy vessels previously deployed to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible mission near the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin alongside Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Pistorius said that they would not wait indefinitely, Caliber.Az reports via German media.

“At present, I do not see a scenario in which we could enter the Strait of Hormuz for mine clearance in the coming days or weeks,” he added.

The minister stated that the mine countermeasures vessel Fulda and the support ship Mosel could be brought back to Germany as early as summer.

“We will not keep our two ships there until autumn, waiting for something to happen at some point. We will make a timely decision that, in case of doubt, it is better for our soldiers to spend the summer in Berlin at 40 degrees Celsius than in Djibouti at nearly 50 degrees,” he said.

The vessels had been positioned closer to the Strait of Hormuz to serve as a standby force for a potential mission, but are now set to be returned to Germany if no deployment decision materialises.

By Jeyhun Aghazada