Unstable Situation in Middle East: Navy Withdraws Ships from Gulf of Aden
It was only in June that the German government deployed two naval vessels to East Africa to stand ready for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz. Now they are to be withdrawn again — due to the unstable situation in the Middle East.
In light of the ongoing Iran war, the German government intends to relocate two German ships stationed near the region to the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days.
The vessels, which were meant to form part of a possible military mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, are currently located in Djibouti in East Africa on the Gulf of Aden, according to a spokesperson for the Defense Ministry.
Ministry Does Not Expect Hormuz Mission Anytime Soon
The German government had sent the minehunter "Fulda" and the supply ship "Mosel" to the region to stand ready for a possible mission to clear mines.
The Defense Ministry made clear in a statement that it does not expect the volatile political situation to stabilize sufficiently in the near future to allow for a mission to secure the route. The ships are to remain on standby in the Mediterranean until the start of a mission becomes foreseeable, it said.
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had already announced at the beginning of July, against the backdrop of the unresolved Middle East conflict, that the ships might be withdrawn again over the summer.
