Europe Drafts Pie In The Sky Plan To Free Up Hormuz Without 'Belligerent' Parties
by Tyler Durden
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026 - 05:45 AM
This is quite the ambitious headline revealing the latest 'plan' for Hormuz to come out of Europe, as it sits on the sidelines watching the US get potentially bogged down in the region following a month of heavy airstrikes on Iran: Europe drafts postwar plan to free up Strait of Hormuz without US, WSJ reports.
This is apparently a plan for after the main crisis is over, amid the strait still being blockaded (with the each warring side insisting it is they in control of the strategic chokepoint waterway). It seems the main idea is to eventually take the United States out of the equation, allowing only for the 'neutral' countries to free up and clean the Hormuz Strait.
Both the Iranians & Americans still step aside & tiny French warships will move in?
But the whole thing is very strange - on the one hand, it purports to keep one of the key belligerents, namely the United States, at bay - while on the other envisioning European/NATO military ships engaged in freedom navigation operations, including some mine-clearing.
For example, there is this line from the Journal report: "French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday the plan is for an international defensive mission that doesn't include the 'belligerent' parties, meaning the US, Israel and Iran. European diplomats familiar with the plan say European ships wouldn't be under American command."
According to a Newsquawk summary of the WSJ main highlights:
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/europe-drafts-pie-sky-plan-free-hormuz-without-belligerent-parties
