Germany is in principle ready to help secure transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities end, provided there is a mandate, preferably from the United Nations, and German parliamentary approval, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
"We are still a long way from all of that," Merz told reporters a day before talks in Paris that, he said, would also cover whether US armed forces could participate in a mission.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has caused unprecedented disruption of global oil and gas. It has led to the halting of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 per cent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
A government source told Reuters that Germany could contribute Type MJ332-class minehunters or reconnaissance vessels, and that a naval logistics base in Djibouti could be used.
A deployment of German frigates was unlikely, the source said.
At a press conference, Merz declined to specifically address a question on a newspaper report saying that Germany was prepared to offer demining and maritime surveillance expertise.
Germany's defence ministry declined to comment on the report.
Merz stressed that at least a provisional ceasefire would be required before any mission in the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran's military nuclear programme must end.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke Writing by Madeline Chambers Editing by Miranda Murray and Sabine Wollrab)
