Italy is ready to deploy up to four vessels, including two minesweepers, as part of an international mission to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the Italian Navy’s chief of staff has said.
The pledge is the first specific European naval contribution to the post-ceasefire Hormuz clearance operation, marking a shift from diplomatic statements of support to concrete operational commitments by an EU member state.
Sri Lanka’s fuel imports transit the Strait of Hormuz and have been repeatedly disrupted by Iranian mine-laying, vessel seizures and US naval interdictions since the April 8 US-Iran ceasefire. This week alone, US forces ordered a shoot-and-kill policy against mine-laying boats, seized a third Iran-linked tanker in the Indian Ocean, and responded to a second ship attack reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations.
Italy’s commitment adds operational capacity to what Washington has framed as a coalition clearing mission. Previous European naval contributions to Gulf security have been led by France and the United Kingdom under the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASoH) umbrella, but Italy’s pledge is the first to earmark specific minesweeping assets for the current clearing operation.
The Italian navy chief did not provide a deployment date or timeline for the minesweeping operation. Italy had previously suspended aspects of its defence agreement with Israel over Lebanon-related concerns, making its willingness to contribute to the Hormuz stabilisation mission a politically distinct development.
For Sri Lanka, any successful clearing of the strait directly eases the risk premium that has pushed Brent crude to $105 a barrel and inflated fuel import costs, airline rerouting surcharges and shipping insurance premiums.
