Germany has sent its combat units to the Mediterranean in advance in order to quickly deploy its forces in the Strait of Hormuz after receiving permission from the Bundestag, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told the Rheinischen Post.
“To save time, we decided to send some German units to the Mediterranean in advance so that – once the Bundestag's mandate is approved – we don't waste any more time”, Pistorius said.
Germany has sent a minesweeper and a supply ship to the Mediterranean. According to Pistorius, the Bundestag mandate could be obtained very quickly.
In mid-March, Pistorius said that Berlin had rejected US President Donald Trump's requests to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. At the time, Pistorius said: “This is not our war; we did not start it.“
European countries are developing a plan for an international mission to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the end of hostilities without the participation of the United States. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the coalition of countries wants to restore the confidence of shipping companies and ensure the resumption of transit through the strait after the end of the conflict, the timing of which remains uncertain. Berlin was then considering participating in the mission.
After the outbreak of the war between the US and Iran, Trump began to actively involve European allies in military operations, but was met with refusals. Politico reported that Washington has divided its NATO allies into "the naughty and the nice."
On April 17, the US leader warned NATO countries to stay out of the Middle East war zone. "When the situation in the Strait of Hormuz was resolved, NATO called me and asked if we needed help. I told them to stay out unless they just wanted to load their ships with oil," he said at the time.