NATO Weighs Early-July Hormuz Escort Mission as July 7-8 Ankara Summit Nears
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · May 19
NATO Weighs Early-July Hormuz Escort Mission as July 7-8 Ankara Summit Nears
6 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 19
NATO is discussing a mission to help ships transit the blocked Strait of Hormuz if the waterway is still shut by early July, according to a senior alliance official.
Early July has become the trigger because the strait remains blocked, raising the prospect that commercial shipping could need military protection to pass.
Several NATO members support the idea, but the alliance has not secured the unanimous backing needed to move ahead, a diplomat from a NATO country said.
July 7-8 talks in Ankara by NATO leaders could become the next key point for deciding whether the alliance turns the contingency plan into an operation.
As key allies refuse to commit, could the Hormuz crisis be the final straw that breaks the NATO alliance?
With global trade at stake, is a costly military intervention the only option to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz?
Will a mission in Hormuz redefine NATO from a defensive pact into a global guardian of economic interests?