European nations and Japan condemn Iran's action, vow support to ensure safe passage of ships in Hormuz

European countries - The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, along with Japan, on Thursday offered support to ensure safe passage to shipping vessels through the Strait of Hormuz while condemning Iran's attacks on oil and gas tankers, which have disrupted the energy supply globally.

"We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning," a joint statement from the countries said.

However, it was not immediately made clear whether these efforts would include military action to open the strait.

Iran's continuous attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical routes for crude oil and LPG shipments, have triggered a crisis in the wake of the US and Israel's conflict with



Tehran. 

Iran has deployed drones and explosive boats while warning it would target ships attempting to pass through. The escalation has sharply reduced shipping traffic, leaving hundreds of vessels stranded outside the strait and triggering supply shortages in several countries, including India.

The nations strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on unarmed commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities, as well as what it described as the effective closure of the strait. It called on Iran to immediately halt actions that threaten commercial shipping and regional stability.

"We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces," the statement added.