The European Union’s foreign policy chief is encouraging member states to redirect the bloc’s Red Sea naval mission to help restart oil and gas shipments in the Strait of Hormuz.
“If we want to have security in this region, it would be easiest to already use the operation we have in the region and maybe change a bit,” Kaja Kallas said Monday, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
The EU operation in question is Aspides, which was launched in 2024 after the Houthis attacked shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Officials are now discussing whether the bloc could turn that mission to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been effectively closed since the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Ministers will debate “whether it’s possible to really change the mandate of this mission,” Kallas said.
The blockade has sent energy prices soaring, leaving European officials anxious about inflation, economic slowdowns and even food supply disruptions. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil moves through the narrow passage.
In addition to shifting the Aspides operation, countries are also exploring a “coalition of the willing” operation, Kallas said.
“We also need to see what would be the fastest way to provide this opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Kallas said.
