Italy to send minesweepers closer to Gulf

ROME: Italy said on Wednesday it was sending two warships closer to the Gulf but would only deploy them as part of an international mission in case of a lasting truce in the region. Speaking to parliament, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto also said that a possible mission to the Strait of Hormuz could only happen with prior approval from lawmakers.
Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait, through which around a fifth of global oil supplies used to transit, since it came under attack from the US and Israel in February. The confrontation has wrought economic havoc around the world, pushing up oil and fertiliser prices and disrupting global supply chains. The US has also accused Iran of laying mines in the Strait.
Iran's military spokesman said on Wednesday that Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz could generate 'significant' economic revenue and strengthen the country's international position. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel. In peacetime, the route accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities.
Iran's grip over the waterway has rattled global markets and given Tehran significant leverage, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports despite a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8. 'Our oversight of the Strait of Hormuz will generate significant economic revenues for our country — potentially even doubling our oil income — and will strengthen our influence on the international stage,' military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said. He added that the western part of the strait was controlled by the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards, while the eastern section was overseen by the Iranian navy.
Iran's control over the strait remains one of the key sticking points in negotiations with the United States, which have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. On Wednesday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission, said his committee had finalised a plan to manage the waterway. 'The Islamic Republic of Iran intends to use this strategic position as a lever of power through strategic management of the Strait of Hormuz,' he said
Crosetto said that the pre-condition for any deployment would be not the ceasefire currently in place 'but a real, credible and stable truce or, even better, a definitive peace'. He said it would take weeks for the minesweepers to reach the region and Italy was therefore 'pre-positioning' them, initially to the eastern Mediterranean and then the Red Sea. 'Solely as a precaution... we are arranging for two minehunter units to be positioned relatively closer to the Strait,' Crosetto said.
Britain and France have led talks on a potential naval effort in the region to assist global shipping. Both countries have said they are 'pre-positioning' warships nearby. Negotiations between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war and re-open the crucial waterway appear to have stalled. — Reuters