NATO foreign ministers will meet with Gulf Arab counterparts on Tuesday to discuss the stalemate over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including a Franco-British proposal for a multinational maritime mission that Iran has so far dismissed.
Strait of Hormuz Tensions
The meeting on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara will bring together ministers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates following weeks of tensions in the strategically important waterway despite an interim U.S.-Iran peace deal.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported that a tanker was struck east of Oman’s Limah. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
International Response
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated that the stability of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates is linked to European energy security. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized NATO allies for their reluctance to contribute to efforts to reopen the waterway.
France and Britain have led efforts to build a coalition among roughly a dozen countries to guarantee safe passage through the strait once tensions ease or the conflict is resolved, though any long-term arrangement would ultimately require Iranian acquiescence.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
