German Defense Ministry Announces Withdrawal of Two Ships from Red Sea

Germany's Defense Ministry announced on Thursday its intention to withdraw two warships from the Red Sea region to the Mediterranean Sea "in the coming days". A ministry spokesperson confirmed that the two vessels, the minesweeper "Fulda" and the supply ship "Mosel," are currently in Djibouti. The ships were dispatched last month for a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz following the conclusion of US-Iran tensions. However, the ministry explained their transfer, citing the "volatile political situation" and "absence of any foreseeable start of operations in the near term" in Hormuz as primary reasons. It added that maintaining the ships in the region indefinitely "burdens their technical systems." The German Defense Ministry stated the ships will remain "on standby for deployment," returning "once reliable indications of an imminent mission start are available."