Italy backs possible expansion of EU Aspides mission to Strait of Hormuz

Italy is open to using the European Union’s Aspides naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz as part of a broader international effort to secure the strategically vital waterway, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

Discussions among EU member states on Aspides “aim to allow the European Union to extend maritime security operations, including the protection of the Strait of Hormuz,” Crosetto said in an interview released on April 20, foreign media reports.

He added that hostilities must end before any vessels are deployed, as “no one wants to get involved in a war.”

The EU naval mission, originally established in 2024 to protect shipping in the Red Sea following attacks on commercial vessels, could be expanded beyond its current mandate, officials have indicated.

Crosetto said any future framework would need to be wider than Europe alone. The use of Aspides would take place within the framework of “an alliance much larger than Europe that should also include Asian states, given their dependence on Hormuz”, a source close to the minister said.

He also said he “does not rule out a mission without a UN framework”, adding that he would not oppose a force led by a broad coalition. “42 nations with a mandate and a multilateral peacekeeping force”, he said.

Italy, which currently contributes three naval vessels to Aspides, could also expand its role. Crosetto said, “Twenty days ago, I told the Chief of Defence and the Navy to be ready with two ships”.