Meloni with the Volunteers to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz

The Coalition of the Willing addresses the problem of closing the Strait of Hormuz. And Italia is in dialogue with France, the United Kingdom and Germany to find a solution. On the table is the hypothesis of a European demining expedition. On Friday 17 April, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are in Paris with some '30 participants' in the definition of a mission for the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, once the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States is consolidated.

In addition to Macron and Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also be present at the conference. The other participants, described by the French presidency as countries from 'Europe, the Middle East, Asia and even Latin America', will instead connect via video conference.

The context for the initiative is the so-called 'coalition of the willing', formed by more than 40 countries. The Paris summit was preceded by a meeting of military attachés to take stock of the situation in the Strait. The goal is still a return to freedom of navigation. The game remains uphill for two reasons: the role of the United States, which has so far remained outside the coalition, and the attitude of Tehran, which for the first time has moved with clear opposition to the Volunteers' plan. There is talk of a demining plan ready to be deployed, especially if the truce between Iran and the United States is extended.

"European unity already seems solid and is more necessary than ever in the face of risks that we must face collectively": Elysée Palace sources, during a meeting with the press in Paris, responded in this way to the question from the Ansa agency whether Meloni's presence at the summit on maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz could in some way contribute to strengthening the continent's unity in the face of the crisis in the Middle East. The Iran conflict, they add in Paris, has 'come on top of the crisis linked to the Russian war in Ukraine: all of this has serious consequences for the European Union and for all European countries. It is therefore very important to define together how to act in our common interest'. The presence of Starmer, Merz, and Meloni together with Macron in Paris is a "good sign of European unity," they stress at the Elysée Palace, adding that some "thirty participants" are expected at the meeting in a hybrid format (with one part in person and one part by videoconference). Objective? To work on a maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, but only when conditions permit.