A European-led mission for protection of Gulf waters expected to operate soon will be hosted by a French naval base in UAE, France’s defense minister said on Sunday. The decision came in the wake of the subsequent tanker attacks earlier this year in the region which triggered global diplomatic tension.
The multiple attacks on tankers and other vessels in major global shipping lanes off UAE and in the Strait of Hormuz in May and June disrupted normal shipping traffic in the world’s major route for world oil supply, while it increased tensions between the US, Iran and Gulf Arab states. The US has blamed Iran of being behind the attacks, but Tehran has denied allegations.
This morning we formalized that the command post will be based on Emirati territory,
…Defence Minister Florence Parly was quoted as saying to reporters at a French naval base in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.
The command center will host around a dozen officials representing the countries involved, she added.
On Saturday, Parly said the initiative could start early next year and around 10 European and non-European governments would join, pending parliamentary approval, Reuters reported.
First announced in July, the plan is independent of a US-led maritime initiative which some European countries feared would make US-Iranian tensions worse.
Parly said the two missions would coordinate in order to ensure safety of navigation in an already tense area.
Earlier in November, the US Central Command announced the opening of Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel’s new command center at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain.
The new coalition aims to “ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in international waters throughout the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman.”
