The European Union said on Monday it was ready to bolster its maritime operations in the Middle East to protect shipping routes, after holding talks with regional leaders.
The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader regional war, causing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to all but halt.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen “expressed their openness to further tailor and enhance these operations in order to better respond to the situation”, the bloc said in a statement.
They held video talks with leaders from countries in the region including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
A fifth of global crude passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The EU has two maritime defensive operations in the region — anti-piracy naval force Atalanta and Aspides.
The latter was launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.
Aspides is based in Greece but under Italy’s operational military command. It currently has three warships — one French, one Greek and one Italian.
Operation Atalanta has two ships, one in Oman and the other in Djibouti.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged his European counterparts “to strengthen this operation (Aspides) with more naval assets”.
“Few of us are participating at present but we must demonstrate European solidarity on a concrete level,” he said.
He was speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Cyprus on Monday.
Macron said France would contribute to Aspides “over the long term” with two additional frigates.
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