In light of the repeated attacks by the United States on Iran, the SPD is calling for the withdrawal of German Bundeswehr soldiers who were deployed to the region, pending a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Siemtje Möller, the deputy co-chair of the SPD parliamentary group responsible for foreign and defense policy, told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” that the situation in Iran is not easing-on the contrary, it is worsening. She warned that the goals of the agreed-upon ceasefire are threatened, raising concerns that combat operations may intensify again.
Möller added that these developments further delay the prerequisites for a potential German military contribution to a mission in the Strait of Hormuz. She demanded that the German troops currently waiting in Djibouti for their potential deployment should be given clarity and pulled out of the region for the time being.
The German government had previously sent the mine-hunting boat “Fulda” and the supply ship “Mosel” to the region, positioning them for an international mission focused on clearing mines. However, the government also stipulated that such an operation requires a cessation of hostilities, an international mandate, and at least acceptance from Iranian authorities. All of these conditions, as well as the necessary approval from the Bundeswehr itself, do not seem likely in the near future.
Priorly, US President Donald Trump had criticized his allies at the NATO summit in Ankara, stating that they had not adequately assisted him during the war with Iran and in the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius (SPD) had indicated his desire not to keep the Bundeswehr soldiers in the region throughout the summer if a concrete mission plan did not materialize.
Speaking to the FAZ, Möller stressed that this call for withdrawal “does not explicitly mean that Germany fundamentally does not want to contribute.” She clarified that as soon as a stable ceasefire and the prospect of acceptance from the affected coastal states become available, the Navy could be deployed to the region again at any time, but until then, she insisted, the soldiers should not be made to wait any longer.
