MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2019) US threats to relocate part of its military contingent from Germany to Poland will unlikely reverse Berlin's refusal to join the US-led naval mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a member of the German parliamentary defense committee, Karl-Heinz Brunner from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told Sputnik.
Last week, the United States invited Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Korea and the United Kingdom, among others, to join a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Germany, in particular, rejected this formal invitation and reiterated that it did not want to be a part of Washington's "maximum pressure" strategy on Iran. On Thursday, US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher said that Washington would happily relocate some of its troops stationed in Germany to Poland since Berlin was not meeting its defense spending commitments within NATO.
"Nothing will change about the US-led mission in the Gulf even after this decision. The EU is countering the policy of maximum pressure with maximum diplomacy. That is why Germany can only participate in a joint European action. Nothing has changed in this respect," Brunner said.
Berlin remains committed to NATO's common goals and values, but the statements of the US ambassador contradict the usual tone of communication, the lawmaker noted.
"Partners do not threaten each other. That must be unmistakably clear," he said.
In late July, German lawmakers told Sputnik that Berlin's refusal to join the Gulf mission and help Washington's anti-Iranian efforts could lead to Berlin's isolation among its allies, as well as to new tariffs and sanctions against Germany on the part of Washington.
Tensions in the Gulf waters escalated in June following several isolated attacks involving oil tankers. The United States has claimed that Iran was behind the incidents, while Tehran has denied any wrongdoing. Iran subsequently shot down a US surveillance drone over the coastal Hormozgan area, prompting threats from the United States.
The situation worsened after an Iranian vessel was seized by Gibraltar over suspicions of shipping oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. The move has been slammed by Tehran, while Madrid has said the tanker was captured at the request of the United States.
