"Europe draws up plan to restore Strait of Hormuz without US," WSJ reports

[The Financial News]

Europe is drawing up a post-war plan to restore the Strait of Hormuz without involving the US, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 14th (local time).
The idea is to form a Europe-centered multinational coalition that excludes the warring parties—the US, Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran—and guarantees freedom of navigation through the strait.

According to the report, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading the discussions, and Germany is also expected to join the multinational coalition.
On the 14th, Macron described the US as a party to the conflict. He argued that if the US, which abruptly launched military operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28 after nuclear talks, were to take part in restoring the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran could react negatively.
This would create an unusual situation in which the US, which has acted as the world’s policeman since World War II, is left out.

Germany is at the heart of Europe’s plan to restore the Strait of Hormuz.
The country has substantial fiscal resources and key military assets needed for specialized missions such as mine clearance.
Germany, which has been cautious about overseas military interventions since World War II, now appears to be leaning toward participation.
If Germany joins, the coalition is expected to be able to deliver tangible results, such as clearing mines laid by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The goal of the plan is to ensure that, once the war between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely over, ships can again pass through the strait without fear.
The first task is to open an emergency corridor so that hundreds of merchant vessels stranded in the Gulf region by the closure of the strait can safely get out. This phase focuses on securing a minimum passage for ships that have been stuck for months. It also includes removing mines along this corridor.
Once the emergency corridor is in place, the second phase is to clear all remaining mines so that ships can sail freely in all directions, as they did before the war.
The final phase is to escort ships passing through the strait and ensure safe navigation.
Frigates and destroyers, which are typically used to escort merchant vessels, will be deployed to provide regular convoys and monitor the strait. These are measures intended to reassure insurers and shipping companies. The model is Operation ASPIDES, which protected merchant ships in the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels in the Republic of Yemen in 2024.

Europe’s plan highlights the rift between the US and Europe.
Even amid the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran, US President Donald Trump revealed his ambition to bring Greenland under US control, fueling resentment among European allies.
From tariffs to territorial ambitions and warnings about the collapse of European civilization, clashes across the Atlantic have become frequent.
Europe in particular views the war with the Islamic Republic of Iran as illegal and as a conflict that triggers economic shock. For this reason, it appears to have rejected Washington’s request to blockade Iranian ports and chosen an independent course.
Europe is also making clear that it does not intend to provoke the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated that the plan will be pursued in consultation with countries bordering the Strait of Hormuz, including the Islamic Republic of Iran and Oman. He stressed that the initiative will not go ahead without Tehran’s approval.


dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter