Albares rejects modification of European Aspides mission in the Red Sea to allow ships to go to Hormuz

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has expressed his opposition to modifying the mandate of the European operation Aspides in the Red Sea to facilitate a possible European military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump called for the deployment of warships to the area to break the Iranian blockade of oil shipments. “The Aspides mandate is correct and is perfectly fulfilling its functions at this time, and therefore, there is no need to introduce any modification,” Albares declared this Monday, March 16, in his appearance before journalists before participating in the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels. Operation Aspides (EUNAVFOR Aspides) is the European Union's military mission to prevent Houthi attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea. This is a purely defensive mission to escort merchant ships in the area against Yemeni Shia forces. The naval mission currently consists of three ships from France, Italy, and Greece. According to the Financial Times, EU foreign ministers are considering extending the mandate of Operation Aspides to include the Strait of Hormuz. "Obviously," Albares admitted, "the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is extremely worrying for Europeans and certainly for their well-being, not only because of the energy situation, but also because it is a crucial point for the passage of many goods." However, he warned, "Spain is not involved in this. Spain is focused on de-escalation." "We must not do anything that adds further tension, further escalation. What must happen is that the bombings and missile launches against all Middle Eastern countries must cease, and that we return to the negotiating table. A purely military solution is never truly a solution," he insisted. NATO and the UN Iran has declared any oil tanker heading to the United States, Israel, or their allies through the Strait of Hormuz a “legitimate” military target. Sixteen tankers have been attacked in the Strait since the war began, and Tehran has threatened to lay explosive mines in the waterway. The United States has not yet sent its own warships to escort the tankers, but Trump warned this weekend, through his Truth Social platform, that NATO faces “a very bad future” if allied countries do not get involved to allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. He has even specifically asked countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and South Korea, among others, to send warships to the Strait, but so far none of them have committed to this. For her part, French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin warned last Thursday that France will not send warships to the Strait of Hormuz while the conflict continues to escalate, and French President Emmanuel Macron has limited himself to announcing a “purely defensive” mission with his allies to escort ships in Hormuz, but not before the “most intense phase” of the war concludes. In statements to the FAC this Monday, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, responded that the Strait of Hormuz is “outside NATO’s area of responsibility” because “there are no NATO countries in the Strait of Hormuz,” but admitted that they are exploring options, for example, with the UN, to guarantee the navigability of the strait and, incidentally, address Trump’s proposal. Regarding the possibility of the military mission requested by Trump being carried out within the framework of the UN, Albares insisted that what is needed is “to end this spiral of violence and this escalation that has neither clear objectives nor is leading to anything more than the suffering of civilians throughout the region and the rise in global prices.” “The United Nations must be involved in all parts of the world, but if there is one place where the United Nations is already involved, it is Lebanon,” where “the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, was yesterday,” he stated. “That is one of the scenarios where the United Nations must be listened to, but certainly not by firing on a United Nations force like UNIFIL,” he warned. During the Council meeting, the ministers expressed their “deep concern” about the escalation and risk of a wider regional conflict, the security of maritime routes, and “the need to preserve freedom of navigation, including in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.” “Restarting shipments of fertilizer, food, and energy through the Strait of Hormuz is an urgent priority. The EU already has naval operations underway. We have Aspides, which plays a key role in safeguarding freedom of navigation. In our discussions, there was a clear desire to strengthen this operation,” Kaja Kallas noted at the press conference following the EU Council meeting. The US and sanctions against Russia Furthermore, the foreign ministers addressed the impact of the Middle East crisis on Ukraine and Russia’s war of aggression, particularly its military and energy repercussions. “The ministers made it clear that Ukraine remains Europe’s top security priority, and that attention to Ukraine will not be turned off. The same drones attacking Kyiv are also attacking the Gulf states, so since Ukraine has the best drone defenses, we also briefly discussed how we can bring the two together,” Kaja Kallas stated. Therefore, she warned, “Europe will maintain sanctions and continue to move away from Russian fossil fuels.” “If we want this war to end, Moscow needs to have less money for war, not more. Increasing pressure on the Russian shadow fleet is one of the best tools we have,” Kallas continued, following the United States’ unilateral decision to temporarily suspend sanctions on Russian oil purchases, supposedly to mitigate the impact on crude prices caused by the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In this regard, Albares warned reporters that “lifting sanctions on Ukraine is a mistake; this is not the time to ease pressure on Russia.” For her part, Sara Aagesen, Third Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, declared this Monday before participating in the EU Energy Council in Brussels that in the face of the use of energy “as a weapon of war” it is necessary “to accelerate the energy transition, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and commit to strategic and energy autonomy”.

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