Leaders from around 50 countries participated in a meeting in Paris on Friday on the Strait of Hormuz, where they continued to plan for an international effort to ensure the safety of shipping. The work will continue with a new meeting in London next week. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) was also present at today's meeting.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) says she cannot go into "exactly what those contributions will be" for Sweden.
"To begin with, we must ensure a lasting ceasefire and thus also a lasting opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Free shipping is absolutely crucial for trade and prosperity in the world and very important for Sweden as well," Stenergard says by phone from Ukraine.
"Must ensure"
Why is an intervention needed after a lasting ceasefire?
It is needed because Iran has shown that it is prepared to use the Strait of Hormuz as a weapon against the rest of the world and to exercise blackmail. We must ensure that it cannot do so. Different forms of effort are also needed, political but also defensive military efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and that this does not happen again, Stenergard says.
Does this mean that Sweden then runs the risk of ending up in armed conflict with Iran?
"We are absolutely not there; what I am saying is that this is not relevant until we have a lasting ceasefire. That is why it is so important that the negotiations continue and that we do not just have a temporary ceasefire but a permanent one," the Foreign Minister says.
France and the UK
The operation will be led by France and the UK and will begin "as soon as conditions permit," according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. A dozen countries have reportedly said they are ready to participate, including Germany and Italy.
"We are against all restrictions, all systems that in practice mean that the strait is privatized and, of course, all tariffs," French President Emmanuel Macron says at a press conference in Paris.
However, US President Donald Trump does not seem interested in any assistance regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
"Now that the Hormuz situation is over, I received a phone call from NATO asking if we needed any help. I told them to stay away, as long as it's not just about filling ships with oil," Trump wrote.
