Germany wants to offer minehunting boats and aerial reconnaissance

Germany's Bundeswehr is to provide minehunting boats, an escort ship and aerial reconnaissance for such a mission after the end of hostilities if certain conditions are met, according to government sources quoted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Bundeswehr has eight minehunting boats

The Bundeswehr currently has eight minehunting boats and two mine-sweeper boats. It is still unclear how many of these could be deployed. According to Merz, he did not want to give any figures on Friday. The German military's minehunting boats, which are more than 50 meters long, are manned by a regular crew of 42 soldiers, who can be augmented by mine divers.

For aerial reconnaissance, the navy has two P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft at its disposal, which are equipped with radar, acoustic systems and high-resolution optics and usually have eleven soldiers on board. As is usual in such missions, a supply ship would accompany the minesweepers.

Several conditions for deployment

However, the government believes that several conditions must first be met for such a mission.

* The most important condition is a ceasefire in the Iran war. A deployment during ongoing hostilities is out of the question for Berlin

* In addition, the deployment must be secured under international law, "ideally" by a mandate from the UN Security Council, according to government circles.

* The third condition is a "resilient military concept" to be developed at the conference in Paris. From a German perspective, this also includes "significant" support for the mission from US forces. Macron, on the other hand, envisages a mission without the warring parties, which include Israel as well as the USA and Iran.

* It is also certain that the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, will have to approve the mission - as with any armed foreign mission by the German armed forces. The parliamentary groups of the Christian Democrat and Social Democrat coalition have already been informed of the government's plans today.

German frigates are tied up in the North Atlantic

The Bundeswehr frigates are not to be deployed because the German warships are heavily tied up in a NATO group in the North Atlantic. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had only decided at the end of March to send the German frigate "Sachsen" as lead ship and the "Brandenburg" to relieve the British forces. The increased presence in the North Atlantic is seen as a reaction to Russia's military activities there.

Merz has already declared his willingness to support a Hormuz mission after a ceasefire on several occasions in recent weeks. Now he is getting specific for the first time at the conference in Paris.

Macron and Starmer initiated the conference

The conference was initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. According to information from German government circles, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also be attending alongside Merz.

This means that all four European countries from the G7 group of leading democratic industrial nations will be represented. The German Chancellor's circle sees this as a "political signal of European unity". Several other countries are to join in via video.

Merz wants to continue to press for an agreement on an end to the war at the meeting. Germany is holding talks with Iran to this end. The demands to the leadership in Tehran are an end to the nuclear program and the attacks on Israel and the Gulf states as well as the opening of the Strait of Hormuz without imposing tariffs on the passage of merchant ships.