Wadephul also echoed comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said at a summit of G7 leaders Tuesday that he could be ready to deploy fighter jets and frigates quickly, but that a request to do so must come not only from the U.S. but also from Iran and Oman.
“Germany needs to know whether such a mission is even possible in that maritime area. That means the coastal states must give their consent,” he said. “So far, there has been at least some ambiguity on the Iranian side — even words of rejection. I don’t know if that’s the final word. But it’s clear to us that these prerequisites must be clarified.”
Germany is expected to contribute to the mission eventually by deploying minesweepers, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has repeatedly stressed that it needs a clear legal basis to do so. Wadephul and his Polish counterpart both said that purpose could also be served by strengthening the mandate of Europe’s Aspides mission, an EU military operation from 2024 to address the threat of Houthi rebels to shipping in the Red Sea.
“From the German government’s perspective, the European Union’s Aspides mandate is also a suitable basis for anchoring our European responsibility there and providing a legal foundation,” Wadephul said. “And that is why I once again suggest that we discuss, within the European framework, adapting this mandate accordingly.”
Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski shared that position. “We are considering, once military operations have ended, creating a legal framework for an Aspides mission, and that would also be acceptable to Poland,” he said in Berlin.
The Aspides mandate currently covers the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman but stops short of the Strait of Hormuz. EU leaders rejected expanding it at a summit in March.