The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is discussing the possibility of helping ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz if the waterway remains blocked by early July, according to a senior official in the military alliance.
The idea has support from several members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but doesn’t yet have the necessary unanimous support, said a diplomat from a NATO country.
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity. Leaders from NATO countries will meet in Ankara July 7-8. “The political direction comes first, and then the formal planning happens after that,” said Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, when asked about the possibility at a Tuesday press conference.
“Am I thinking about it? Absolutely.” According to Bloomberg, such a move would represent a shift in the military alliance’s strategy towards the US-Israeli war in Iran. So far, allies have insisted they would only be involved in the strait once fighting has stopped and they can form a broad coalition that includes many non-NATO countries.
But economic woes are deepening, with the strait’s closure sending energy prices soaring and growth forecasts tumbling.
It’s unclear exactly how NATO countries could guarantee safe passage for commercial vessels through the strait. A recent US attempt to do that was halted within days of being launched, despite Washington’s considerable military capabilities.
Iran initially blocked the Strait of Hormuz — which transits roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies — after the US and Israel began bombing the country in late February.
