LONDON - Britain and France have finalized plans to lead a multinational naval mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz days after an agreement between the United States and Iran to reopen the waterway, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Shipments of goods in one of the world's most important trade corridors remain almost halted as the US and Iran clashed in the Arabian Gulf earlier this week amid tense efforts to agree on a temporary deal to restore maritime traffic to pre-war levels.
Military planners in various countries are at an advanced stage in their plans to join efforts to clear the strait of mines laid by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said five people familiar with the talks.
Three people familiar with the mine clearance mission said it would involve a coalition of 15 countries, which have committed to deploying personnel and military assets.
They are likely to join the mission a few weeks after it starts to provide reassurance to commercial vessels and although planning is largely complete, they are still looking for some additional equipment, particularly support vessels, the people added, citing Al Arabiya from Bloomberg (4/6).
The deployment of troops will not begin until there is an agreement between the US and Iran restoring full and unfettered commercial navigation rights and an enabling environment for military assets in the strait, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because of sensitive operational issues that have not been made public.
Advanced planning for the mission shows the strength of Europe wanting to take a key role in maintaining stability and security in the Arabian Gulf after the US and Iran agreed to end hostilities in the waterway. Europe largely refused to support Trump's war and he has harshly criticized the continent's leaders and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for not supporting his attack.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told reporters this week the mission had been discussed with the US.
"The goal is to ensure we have additional mine clearance capabilities wherever they are needed, and also to have support there to be able to provide escort for shipping or security guarantees for shipping if needed," he said.
The British-French-led mission would be ready to open a line of communication with Tehran on operational issues, the source said, adding that although Iran had indicated it wanted to clear the mines in the strait itself, Britain and France did not think Iran had the ability to do so and preferred to manage the mine clearance themselves.
The Royal Navy sent the RFA Lyme Bay, equipped with a series of autonomous mine-hunting systems, from Gibraltar to the strait in late May, the navy said.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump downplayed the threat posed by Iranian sea mines to commercial shipping. He said US forces had "eliminated most of the mines."
A day earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators that Iran had planted mines in most of the strait.
Trump added that the strait would be reopened "soon" after Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to end hostilities.
However, the two countries have struggled to reach an agreement, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that there had been no progress in their talks while Israel continued its attacks in southern Lebanon.
The US does not have any mine countermeasures vessels specifically designed for the region and is retiring its fleet of four remaining wooden-hulled Avenger-class minesweeping vessels.
Two Littoral Combat Ships (Littoral Combat Ships), USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, are in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf, according to ship tracking data from the US Naval Institute updated on June 1.
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