No signs of mines in Strait of Hormuz, German minister says

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said that there are currently no indications that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil supplies located between Iran and Oman, has been mined.

Wadephul, speaking in Qatar during a tour of the Middle East, said the passage is effectively blocked.

“There is practically no shipping traffic and no one in the region is in a position to provide adequate protection,” he said.

Transport of energy supplies from producers through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz has largely come to a standstill amid security concerns following US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran’s response.

Reports that Iran may have laid naval mines in the waterway have further heightened fears about global energy supplies.

Wadephul acknowledged that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is having massive impacts on global energy supplies.

“This de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz naturally has serious implications for energy security and energy supplies, particularly in Asia,” said Wadephul, adding that European markets were also indirectly impacted.

“At the end of the day, I see only a diplomatic solution to this issue of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, not a military one,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important passages in global energy trade. Around one-fifth of global oil shipments normally pass through the strait every day.