BELFAST and MILAN — A coalition of over 40 nations have said they’re committed to the Multinational Military Mission (MMA), led by France and the UK, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a ceasefire has been agreed.
Those involved in the international project have disclosed plans to deploy a wide variety of high-end aviation and naval equipment to safeguard the troubled waterway — an effort that could revive global trade, long strained by Iran’s blockade.
Paris and London co-chaired an international summit in April, initially paving the way for what they defined as an “independent and strictly defensive multinational mission to protect merchant vessels, reassure commercial shipping operators” in addition to conducting “mine clearance operations as soon as conditions permit following a sustainable ceasefire agreement.”
The Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed off by Iran since US-Israeli strikes against Tehran began in late February. Despite a ceasefire in place since April, it has been severely tested, including by Gulf countries recently reporting drone strikes. A peace deal also looks uncertain after President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal, labelling it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” on social media.
Amid the tense backdrop, partner nations wedded to the MMA have provided a clear picture of the contribution they are prepared to make through deployment of military assets, while the European Union has also said it is prepared to play a role in any effort to reopen the Strait. As preparations advance, new commitments emerge.
Backed by a European flagship aircraft carrier, fourth-generation fighter jets, counter drone systems and mine-hunting vessels, the push to eventually reopen the Strait appears to be resolute. While some countries like the Netherlands are actively debating what assets to send, here’s what other key members of the coalition have pledged:
The United Kingdom
On Wednesday, Britain committed to a multi-equipment package covering autonomous mine hunting equipment, counter-drone capabilities, Eurofighter Typhoon fourth-generation fighter jets and the Type 45 air defense destroyer HMS Dragon.
The Ministry of Defence said the Eurofighter combat aircraft, which are jointly operated in the region with Qatar, are “ready to conduct air patrols over the Strait of Hormuz.”
Similarly, HMS Dragon is deploying to the Middle East in preparation for “any mission to secure” the vulnerable passageway, per the statement. The Royal Navy operates six of the destroyers equipped with the Sea Viper anti-air missile system, capable of firing eight missiles in less than 10 seconds.
The service’s modular Beehive system will also be used to “deliver high-speed, autonomous Kraken drone boats allowing the multinational force to sense, track, and identify potential threats and defeat them.”
France
As for France, the co-leader of the MMA previously annouced it would send over the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, along with frigates and amphibious helicopter carriers.
“France has a robust naval force in the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, headed by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and comprising numerous frigates and several amphibious helicopter carriers,” said French President Emmanuel Macron in remarks coinciding with the UK joint statement on the Strait of Hormuz mission.
“All this [equipment] will be redirected according to the planning, and part of it will be used in the eastern Mediterranean, part in the Red Sea, but part will be allocated to the [multinational] effort we’ve just mentioned.”
In an update on X last week, Macron talked of the regional “prepositioning” of Charles de Gaulle to support the MMA. The aircraft carrier is the backbone of French naval power.
Australia
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement on Wednesday that the country would contribute the E-7A Wedgetail aircraft “to this defensive effort.”
He added, “While this platform is already doing work in the region, providing this capability would make a valuable contribution to the multinational mission and efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Produced by Boeing, the E-7 is an Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, or spy plane, fitted with Northrop Grumman’s Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, alongside mission crew consoles that enable simultaneous tracking of airborne and maritime targets, according to a Royal Australian Air Force factsheet.
Belgium
In an April X post, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that the Primula minehunter had been rerouted from the Baltic Sea toward the Mediterranean Sea, adding that Brussels is ready to take its responsibility in the Strait of Hormuz “when needed.”
“When the coalition with the Brits and the French is ready … we will also be ready,” he said of the Primula when speaking at the Atlantic Council on April 28.
The Primula is a key asset within Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and chiefly used to neutralize sea mines. The vessel can also be deployed to carry out patrols and support underwater infrastructure protection missions.
Germany
Berlin said earlier this month that its Fulda minehunter and Mosel replenishment ship were being moved to the Mediterranean in order to “station potential German capabilities for a possible operation” in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The German government is committed to making a significant and visible contribution within an international coalition to protect freedom of navigation” along the area, noted the German ministry of defense’s May 4 statement.
Italy
Local reporting indicates that Italy is committed to sending two minehunters from the Gaeta MLU class — the 5561 Rimini and the 5558 Crotone — in addition to the P432 Raimondo Montecuccoli patrol vessel and the A5336 Atlante logistic support vessel.
The Nave Rimini, one of the two minehunters reportedly being provided, is specifically designed to detect and neutralize naval mines. It is equipped with an advanced sonar system and two remotely-operated vehicles, which are said to be able to identify objects on the seabed at depths of up to approximately 600 meters (656 yards). The second minehunter, the Crotone, has primarily been used by the Italian Navy for naval ordnance clearance operations and inspections to protect critical underwater infrastructure.
European Union
The EU, comprised of 27 countries, has stated it plans to potentially expand Operation Aspides.
“Operation Aspides already makes [a] crucial contribution in protecting shipping in the Red Sea, but its activities could also be extended to the Strait” of Hormuz, Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief, told reporters on Tuesday. Any such expansion “requires the change of the operational plan,” she noted, adding that such discussions with EU members are ongoing.
Launched in 2024, Aspides is designed to protect freedom of navigation and uphold maritime security for merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. The EU says that the operation involves three naval units and comprises 21 contributing nations.
