Pistorius considers withdrawing navy ships from Djibouti – readiness for Hormuz mission remains

At the same time, Pistorius emphasized that this was explicitly not a withdrawal announcement. "This is expressly not an announcement of a withdrawal, but underscores that we are prepared for all scenarios," he said. The armed forces were ready for a possible mission: "On the military side, we are of course ready, should the conditions for an operation be met. These include a ceasefire, an international legal framework, and a Bundestag mandate."

Pistorius, however, was skeptical that these conditions would be met in the near term. "At the moment there is no scenario that I see, in the coming days or weeks, that the cork quickly comes out of the bottle and we should sail into the Strait of Hormuz to clear mines," he said. One would "logically, then, not leave our two ships there until autumn, in the expectation that something will happen at some point." The soldiers, Pistorius said, would "not wait indefinitely."

Conditions for a mission

In parallel, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) emphasized Germany's fundamental operational readiness during a meeting with his Argentine counterpart Pablo Quirno in Buenos Aires. "Our readiness continues to exist," said Wadephul. At the same time, he made clear that the Federal Republic was primarily dependent on clarification of the framework conditions by the USA in its dialogue with Iran.

The background is a possible international mission to clear sea mines in the maritime strait that is central to world trade. Iran had, according to information from German government circles, clearly rejected a French proposal for such a mission on Tuesday. Approval from the immediate neighboring states – which, alongside Iran, also includes Oman – is therefore still lacking.

Diplomatic talks

The Bundeswehr had already relocated the minehunter "Fulda" and the supply ship "Mosel" to the region weeks ago to be ready for a mine-clearance operation. The units have since been stationed in Djibouti, where the climatic conditions are considerably more burdensome for the crews than in Germany.

Asked by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Pistorius explained that the navy would fundamentally remain operationally ready in Djibouti for a possible mission. However, the decision on whether to stay or be recalled should be made so that the crews could spend the summer in a more tolerable climate. All options would have to be reviewed by autumn – including the scenario that the situation does not change and mines still cannot be cleared.

Outlook

According to Pistorius, the prerequisites for an operation include, in addition to a ceasefire, an international legal framework and a Bundestag mandate. Only once these conditions are met can a German contribution to securing the trade route actually take place. Until then, the message from Berlin is that the situation remains open – and the ships remain on standby for the time being.

Internationally, the issue is being followed with attention. The visit by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Berlin underscored the importance the alliance attaches to securing the Hormuz route. At the same time, diplomatic coordination with Iran has been proceeding slowly for days; a breakthrough is currently not in sight.

The German government is thus preparing equally for a possible failure of the mission and for a sudden success. Pistorius reaffirmed that they would "be prepared for all scenarios" – and bring the ships home again if necessary.