Mitsotakis Says Europe Won’t Join Military Efforts Near Iran

Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, on March 17. Photo by Yorgos Karahalis /Photographer: Yorgos Karahalis/B

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(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece and Europe will not participate in any military operations near Iran, after US President Donald Trump demanded that allies send vessels to help restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. 

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“The simple answer is no, Greece is not going to participate in any operation around the theater of current operations,” he said at a Bloomberg event in Athens on Tuesday. “I doubt that there is much European appetite for such a mission right now.”

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Trump recently said European and Asian countries must send ships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed to oil tankers since the US-Israeli attacks on Iran began. But nations have largely deflected the president’s overtures.

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Instead, Mitsotakis said European leaders must address the war’s spillover effects on the continent, such as high energy prices. EU leaders will gather in Brussels on Thursday to consider short-term measures to cut power prices. 

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“I think that Europe will not be drawn in militarily, but Europe certainly needs to focus on the economic ramifications of the crisis,” he said.

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The Iran conflict has largely halted trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime waterway through which a fifth of global oil production typically flows, along with a multitude of other commodities. Oil prices have surpassed $100 a barrel and governments are concerned that the blockade could hamper economies, fuel inflation and even disrupt food production.

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Mitsotakis insisted Europeans should focus on defensive and economic responses, and not get drawn into any of Trump’s Iran missions while war in ongoing.

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“Unless there is a European-endorsed mission, Greece will not participate on its own,” he said. “And I think the likelihood of such a mission right now is very low.”

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One military move the EU has discussed is whether to redirect a Red Sea naval mission, Aspides, to the Strait of Hormuz. But EU foreign ministers made clear on Monday that there was no interest in extending the mission to the Strait.

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Mitsotakis noted that, to this point, Greece had been nearly alone in offering up ships for Aspides. The mission, he said, “has not been fully supported by many other European countries.”

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The Greek leader also supported not shifting the mission’s directives.

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Aspides, he said, is “clearly defined geographically and does not, I repeat, does not extend to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.”

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