German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas once again reiterated that Berlin would not join a US-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

“At the moment the Britons would rather join an American mission. We won’t do that,” Maas told reporters on Monday, Reuters reported.

“We want a European mission,” he said, adding that the issue was not off the agenda but it would take time to convince the European Union to carry out such a mission.

The US Embassy in Berlin said last Tuesday the United States had asked Germany to join France and Britain in a mission to supposedly protect shipping through the strait. Germany rejected the request at the time.

After Iran seized a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf earlier last month because it had failed to abide by international maritime regulations, US, in an escalatory measure, proposed to establish a coalition in the Persian Gulf claiming it to be aimed at securing international waters but is believed to be a coalition against Iran.

Source: Iranian media