More than 40 countries will meet on Tuesday to discuss their military contributions to a European mission aimed at escorting commercial ships and restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz .
The British Ministry of Defence revealed in a statement yesterday, Sunday, that Defence Secretary John Healey will co-chair, with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin, a meeting to be held ,Monday, which will include representatives from more than 40 countries.
This meeting is being held via remote communication technologies and is the first of its kind at the level of defense ministers within the framework of the multinational mission aimed at escorting ships and restoring maritime shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
mine clearance
These countries are expected to provide military capabilities in mine clearance and ship escort, as part of a defensive maritime mission led by Britain and France aimed at reassuring commercial vessels seeking to cross the strait, according to Bloomberg News on Monday.
The announcement of this meeting came just hours after Iran warned both London and Paris of the consequences of deploying naval vessels in the region, following France and Britain's move to send warships to the Middle East .
France has sent the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier " Charles de Gaulle " to the Middle East, while Britain announced last Saturday its intention to send the destroyer "HMS Dragon".
In explaining these moves, the two countries stressed that they fall within the framework of "pre-positioning" in preparation for any possible international mission aimed at helping to protect maritime navigation, following the achievement of a permanent ceasefire.
On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France "never considered" deploying naval forces inside the Strait of Hormuz, but rather a security mission that would be "coordinated with Iran ."
precautionary measure
Macron told reporters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the second stop on his African tour after Egypt, that he stands by his position rejecting any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by any party, referring to its closure by the Iranian side and its blockade by the United States.A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defence said the deployment of the destroyer HMS Dragon was a "precautionary measure" aimed at ensuring the UK is ready to contribute to securing the strait when conditions permit.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has entered a phase of unprecedented turmoil.
The United States escalated its pressure on Iran by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and on Iranian ships crossing the strait, while Tehran largely closed the strait to commercial shipping and oil tankers.
The mutual escalation between the two sides has exacerbated the maritime shipping crisis in the region, amid a major crisis that has shaken global trade and energy markets, with rising transportation costs, oil prices, and increasing security risks facing ships crossing the strait.
Source: Al jazeera
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