NATO is discussing the possibility of helping ships cross the blocked Strait of Hormuz if the passage is not reopened by early July, according to a senior official from the military alliance.
The idea has the support of several members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but has not yet received the necessary unanimous support, said a diplomat from a NATO country. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity. Leaders of NATO countries will meet in Ankara on July 7th and 8th.
“Political guidance comes first, and formal planning happens after that,” said Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, when asked about the possibility at a press conference on Tuesday. “Am I thinking about it? Absolutely.”
Such a move would represent a shift in the military alliance’s strategy toward the U.S.-Israel war in Iran. Until now, the allies have insisted that they would only become involved across the strait after the fighting had ended and that they could form a broad coalition that included many non-NATO countries.
But economic problems are deepening, with the closure of the strait causing energy prices to soar and growth projections to collapse.
It remains unclear exactly how NATO countries could ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the strait. A recent US attempt to do so was halted within days of being launched, despite Washington’s considerable military capabilities.
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A spokesperson for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran initially blocked the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the global supply of oil and liquefied natural gas transits — after the US and Israel began bombing the country in late February.
The crossing has since become a source of tension between the United States and its European NATO allies, who have refused to meet President Donald Trump’s demands that they help reopen the strait.
Trump has repeatedly complained about this reaction, and Washington recently announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany.
The senior NATO official said that while some allies still oppose authorizing an alliance mission to the strait, they would align with the idea if the blockade persists.
The NATO diplomat said several allies support intervention to help reopen the strait, but warned that others remain reluctant to be drawn into the conflict.
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Grynkewich said it is in the interests of allies to get commercial ships back through the strait, noting that Iran has fired several missiles at alliance territory.
“The shutdown,” he said, “is affecting all of our economies in a very negative way — and affecting our economies affects our military industrial capacity in the long term.”
While NATO allies are unified in their desire to reopen the strait, they have adopted slightly different approaches to the war.
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Some countries, such as Spain, have been unequivocal in their opposition to the conflict. Madrid even banned the US from using its airspace and bases to attack Iran. Most allies, however, discreetly granted access to their bases to provide logistical support.
A coalition led by France and the United Kingdom is also developing a plan to help secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting subsides. Some countries have even positioned assets in the area under preparation.
That has not been enough to calm Trump, whose anger has been particularly focused on Germany. So far, however, the US has not made any formal request for NATO involvement in the strait, as previously reported Bloomberg.
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