Germany is in principle ready to help secure transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities end, provided there is a mandate, preferably from the United Nations, and German parliamentary approval, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
"We are still a long way from all of that," Merz told reporters a day before talks in Paris that, he said, would cover the issue of any possible participation of U.S. armed forces.
He declined to specifically address a question on a newspaper report saying that Germany was prepared to offer demining and maritime surveillance expertise.
Germany's defense ministry did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment on the report.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has caused unprecedented disruption of global oil and gas. It has led to the halting of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
Merz, speaking at a press conference with his Irish counterpart, stressed that at least a provisional ceasefire would be required before any mission in the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran's military nuclear program must end.
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