BERLIN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Germany has dispatched two naval vessels to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of a NATO defense ministers' meeting, Pistorius said the German Navy's minehunter Fulda and tender Mosel were passing through the Suez Canal en route to the Red Sea, according to the German Press Agency (dpa).
Germany aims to be ready to respond quickly and deploy to the Strait of Hormuz "if the need arises and the situation becomes a reality," Pistorius said.
He said the vessels' first destination would be Djibouti, adding that no mandate from the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, is currently required because the deployment falls under Germany's participation in the European Union's Red Sea naval mission, EUNAVFOR Aspides.
Pistorius stressed that it remains uncertain whether a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz will be necessary. Any such mission would require a clear international legal framework, as well as the consent of both Iran and Oman, he said. ■