Allies to press Trump for Hormuz mine-clearing nod at G7

US Allies Seek Trump’s G7 Approval for Hormuz Demining Mission

The United Kingdom and France have finalized plans to lead a multinational mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, with allied nations preparing to seek President Donald Trump’s formal endorsement at the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, scheduled for June 15–17.

A Coalition Ready to Deploy

According to Bloomberg, the UK-France-led mission is operationally ready and would deploy allied naval assets to the strait within days of a US-Iran agreement to reopen the waterway. Approximately 15 countries have committed military personnel, minesweepers, unmanned underwater vehicles, and support ships to the coalition. While planning is largely complete, organizers are still working to source additional equipment, particularly support vessels.youtube

The mission hinges on two conditions: a sustainable ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and Trump’s explicit backing. The allies are expected to press for that endorsement when leaders convene at the G7 summit next week. Trump confirmed in May that he would attend the gathering, though the White House signaled his focus would be on economic issues including trade, artificial intelligence, and energy production.axios

Diplomatic Groundwork

The effort builds on months of coalition-building. In March, seven US allies issued a joint statement expressing readiness to contribute to reopening the strait, and G7 foreign ministers agreed that any mission would operate “once calm has been restored” and in a “strictly defensive posture”. France and the UK issued a joint statement in April committing to launch mine clearance operations “as soon as conditions permit following a sustainable ceasefire”.euronews

Bloomberg reported that the UK-France-led coalition plans to open a line of communication with Tehran on operational matters, though Britain and France do not believe Iran has the capability to demine the strait itself and would prefer to manage the sweep independently.gcaptain

Türkiye Signals Willingness

Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday during a visit to South Korea that Türkiye would be willing to contribute to the mine-clearing effort if asked by the parties involved. “If an agreement is reached between the parties, or if we are asked to contribute to the mine-clearing process, we would be pleased to do so,” Fidan told South Korean broadcaster JTBC. Fidan had first signaled Ankara’s openness to participating in such operations during remarks in London in April, describing demining as a “humanitarian responsibility”.reuters

Whether Trump grants the endorsement allies seek remains uncertain. At last year’s G7 in Canada, Trump departed early as the Iran conflict escalated, and earlier this year he pressured allies to help reopen the strait while some initially balked at the request.atlanticcouncil