JAKARTA - German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his party was considering withdrawing German naval vessels stationed in the Red Sea for mine clearance missions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Pistorius said Iran had firmly rejected France's proposal to cooperate in clearing mines in the strategic waterway.
He also did not see any realistic prospects for mine clearance operations to be carried out in the near future.
"Logically, this means we will not leave our two ships stationed in Djibouti until autumn, only hoping that something might happen in the end. We will make the right decision in time this summer," said Pistorius as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Thursday, July 2.
He said it would be better for German soldiers to spend the summer in Berlin with temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, rather than in Djibouti with temperatures of almost 50 degrees.
Germany has sent the mine-sweeping ship Fulda and the supply ship Mosel from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea last month as part of preparations for mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships crossed the Suez Canal in mid-June and are now anchored in Djibouti, where they are refuelling.
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