Brussels, Belgium. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she discussed with the United Nations the idea of freeing up oil and gas transport through the Strait of Hormuz by replicating a wartime deal that enabled grain exports from Ukraine. She spoke as she arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Talks with the United Nations
Kallas said she had spoken with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres about whether a similar initiative to the Black Sea Initiative could help unblock the strait. She did not provide further details on the proposal.
Impact of the Strait of Hormuz disruption
Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, now in its third week, according to Kallas. Iranian forces have attacked ships in the narrow channel between Iran and Oman, disrupting about a fifth of global oil supply, in what she described as the biggest disruption ever.
Kallas said the closure was dangerous for energy supplies to Asia and also affected fertiliser production. She said a lack of fertilisers this year could lead to food deprivation next year.
Potential changes to EU naval mission Aspides
Kallas said EU ministers would discuss whether it was possible to change the mandate of the EU’s Middle East naval mission, Aspides, which currently focuses on protecting ships in the Red Sea from Yemen’s Houthi rebel group. She said the EU had an interest in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and was discussing what it could do from the European side.
Asked about scepticism from German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on whether Aspides could be useful in the Strait of Hormuz, Kallas said member states would need to support any change. She said that if member states decided not to act, it would be their decision, but that the issue needed discussion.
What steps, if any, do you think the European Union should take to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open?
