The Netherlands will contribute a ship to the French-led maritime mission in the Strait of Hormuz for a six-month period starting from January, the Dutch news agency ANP has reported, citing government sources.
France has been calling to establish a European maritime coalition, separate from the one led by Washington. The French-led coalition is expected to be made up of 10 nations from Europe and elsewhere.
The Netherlands' decision to join France comes after Qatar and Kuwait announced earlier in the day that they would become part of the US-led naval mission in the Persian Gulf. As of today, the US-led force comprises Bahrain, the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Albania and the UAE.
Attacks on Oil Tankers
The US and the EU have been calling for the deployment of ships to the Persian Gulf following a series of attacks on oil tankers earlier this year. Several tankers, belonging to Japan, Norway, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, were attacked in separate incidents in May and June.
Washington blamed the attacks on Tehran but failed to provide solid evidence for its claims. Tehran strongly denied the US allegations and said that it would carry out its own investigation of the incidents. The United Arab Emirates investigated an incident which happened in May and announced that the attack had been carried out by a state actor, without providing its name.
