Germany sends two warships toward the Strait of Hormuz as Berlin prepares for a possible mine-clearing mission
Defence minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the minehunter Fulda and tender Mosel passed through the Suez Canal on Thursday, positioning them off Djibouti while legal and diplomatic conditions for deployment remain unresolved.
The deployment
Two vessels of the German Navy, the minehunter "Fulda" and the supply tender "Mosel", transited the Suez Canal on Thursday and are now heading south through the Red Sea toward Djibouti, the defence ministry in Berlin confirmed. The ships carry roughly 140 soldiers and have been reinforced with autonomous underwater systems, mine divers, and vessel protection teams. Their journey will take five to seven days to reach the interim staging point in the East African port.
We want, if it is demanded and becomes reality, to be able to act quickly and above all to be quickly in the Strait of Hormus.
The two vessels are operating under the existing EU maritime mission Aspides mandate, which covers their transit and forward-stationing without requiring a separate Bundestag vote. Pistorius described the move as a "precautionary, forward-looking measure" to ensure Germany can respond rapidly should a formal mine-clearing operation be authorised.
The mine threat
Experts assess that Iran laid several dozen sea mines in the Strait of Hormus shortly after hostilities with the United States began, though Tehran has never confirmed such an operation. US President Donald Trump has stated that some mines have already been recovered. The Fulda, a Frankenthal-class vessel commissioned in 1998, carries a pressure chamber for divers and deploys both autonomous and remotely-guided underwater drones capable of locating and neutralising explosive ordnance. Surface drones that simulate engine noise and magnetic signatures can also trigger bottom mines.
We are in any case ready. When the time comes, we are prepared.
The Mosel, an Elbe-class tender, provides fuel, fresh water, spare parts, provisions, and ammunition, and can accommodate transport helicopters on its deck. The British supply ship Lime Bay is accompanying the German vessels in the multinational formation.
Legal and diplomatic hurdles
Three conditions must be met before German forces can engage in mine-clearing operations in the Strait: a Bundestag mandate (which the government aims to secure before the parliamentary summer recess), a durable cessation of hostilities between Iran and the United States, and a clear international legal framework. Pistorius also stressed that both Iran and Oman must consent to mine-clearing activities in their territorial waters.
Much now depends on how the negotiations between Iran and the USA proceed over the next 60 days.
The minister welcomed progress in talks and the agreement to halt combat operations immediately. No Bundestag mandate is required for the current forward-stationing, which falls within Germany's contribution to the Aspides mission.
- Fulda and Mosel pass through the Suez Canal en route to Djibouti; Pistorius announces the move at NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels.
- Ships expected to reach the Red Sea and make port in Djibouti after 5–7 days of transit.
- German government aims to secure Bundestag mandate before the parliamentary summer recess.
- End of the 60-day window Pistorius referenced for Iran-US negotiations to determine whether mine-clearing conditions are met.
The strategic context
Roughly 20% of global oil flows transit the Strait of Hormus, and the German government has signalled its readiness to make a "substantial and visible contribution" to an international coalition protecting freedom of navigation there. The deployment marks the most concrete European naval commitment to the waterway since the US-Iran conflict escalated, with Berlin positioning itself to act alongside allies once the diplomatic and parliamentary conditions are met.
