Germany is deploying two ships to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports, citing Germany’s Defence minister Boris Pistorius.

“As we speak, our minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel are sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea,” he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his Nato counterparts in Brussels.

Pistorius said approval would be needed from Iran and Oman before any participation in a minesweeping operation, and added any mission would also depend on the developments in further talks between Iran and the US.