The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, has suggested this Monday the creation of an EU mission, or even under the umbrella of the United Nations, with the aim of keeping the Strait of Hormuz operational, closed at the moment by Iran in retaliation for the attacks by the United States and Israel.
In statements to the press before the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), which brings together in Brussels the foreign ministers of the 27, Kallas has advanced that she will propose to the diplomatic officials what formulas can be activated to ensure navigation in what is the main global route for the transport of oil and gas.
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz benefits Russia to finance this war. So we definitely have to do more about it. And there the main issue will be how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open,” stated the head of European diplomacy.
The community official explained that during the weekend she held a conversation with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in which they analyzed the possibility of launching an initiative inspired by the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the mechanism promoted by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations after the Russian invasion to allow the exit of wheat and fertilizers in the midst of war.
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is really dangerous for oil and energy supplies to Asia. 85% of the oil and gas passing through the Strait of Hormuz goes to Asian countries, but it is also problematic for fertilizers. So we talked to António Guterres about how to make this happen,” he detailed.
Kallas has also stressed that the EU already has deployments in the area, such as the naval operation “Aspides”, a European military mission aimed at curbing Houthi attacks against merchant shipping in the Red Sea and which, as she has suggested, could be adapted to respond to the current war scenario in the Middle East.
“We will discuss with the member states if it is possible to change the mandate of this mission and if they are willing to really use this mission. If we want to have security in this region, the easiest thing would be to use the operation we already have in the area and perhaps modify it a little,” he/she has indicated.
Even recognizing that it will not be “easy” to reach a consensus, Kallas has urged again the foreign ministers of the Twenty-Seven to find “the quickest way to guarantee” the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the protection of this key energy route.