Tajani: “Strengthen the Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea; extending it to Hormuz is complicated”

Brussels – Aspides is not to be changed. It cannot be, because “it is complicated”, and so there can be no question of moving the EU naval mission, set up to manage the trade crisis in the Red Sea, to the Strait of Hormuz. This was stated by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, addressing one of the issues on the agenda of the Foreign Ministers and, above all, on the agenda of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, from whom Italy is distancing itself.

“Aspides is a defence mission; I don’t think it can be extended to Hormuz”, emphasises the Foreign Minister, convinced that precisely because of the current situation between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, “it is right to remain in the Red Sea,” and perhaps envisage an Aspides mission “reinforced for traffic in the Suez Canal.”

To ensure normal freight traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, therefore, anything but the Aspides mission is needed. At most, a different, new mission might be envisaged—a possibility not mentioned by the Italian Foreign Minister, who instead calls for a negotiated solution. “Diplomacy must prevail to ensure freedom of navigation” in the international waters now subject to conflict and blockades, he stated on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council in progress in Brussels.

The Aspides naval mission is a European Union initiative launched in February 2024 in response to the unrest in Yemen, and in particular to the guerrilla activities of the Houthis. The mission is defensive and aims to protect merchant and cargo vessels from attacks by Yemeni rebels. The headquarters has been established in Greece, whilst Italy has been entrusted with the mission’s leadership.

The stance expressed by the Italian government through Foreign Minister Tajani is the same as that adopted by the German government. Berlin’s Foreign Minister, Johan Badeful, has also expressed “serious doubts about the possibility of extending the operation to the Strait of Hormuz to ensure greater security.”