BELFAST and MILAN — A coalition of over 40 nations have said they’re committed to the Multinational Military Mission (MMA), led by France and the UK, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a ceasefire has been agreed.
Those involved in the international project have disclosed plans to deploy a wide variety of high-end aviation and naval equipment to safeguard the troubled waterway — an effort that could revive global trade, long strained by Iran’s blockade.
Paris and London co-chaired an international summit in April, initially paving the way for what they defined as an “independent and strictly defensive multinational mission to protect merchant vessels, reassure commercial shipping operators” in addition to conducting “mine clearance operations as soon as conditions permit following a sustainable ceasefire agreement.”
The Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed off by Iran since US-Israeli strikes against Tehran began in late February. Despite a ceasefire in place since April, it has been severely tested, including by Gulf countries recently reporting drone strikes. A peace deal also looks uncertain after President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal, labelling it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” on social media.
