Overview
- Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Wednesday that the two ships “will not wait forever” and that a decision on recalling them will be taken in summer if conditions do not improve.
- About 140 German sailors are stationed on the minehunter Fulda and the support ship Mosel in Djibouti and the government says the vessels remain militarily ready for a mine‑clearing mission.
- Pistorius listed required preconditions for any deployment as a ceasefire, an international legal mandate and Bundestag approval, and he cited Iran’s recent refusal of a French‑led mission as a key obstacle.
- Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and the Chancellery immediately stressed that Germany’s readiness to participate endures and that no immediate withdrawal is planned, creating public tension over messaging within the government.
- The ships were pre‑positioned to signal allied burden‑sharing ahead of a NATO summit, but diplomats warn that without clear regional consent and a legal framework a mine‑clearing operation in the strategic Strait of Hormuz is unlikely in the near term.