France announced on Thursday the beginning of the European Maritime Awareness Mission in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH), intended to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Gulf while promoting a de-escalation approach with Iran.

French frigate Courbet has started patrolling in the Strait of Hormuz and it will be joined by a Dutch frigate in about two weeks.

Last year, the French government had ruled out taking part in a joint mission led by the U.S. to protect oil tankers and cargo ships from what Washington said is a threat from Iran.

Amid Washington's maximum pressure on Iran, a senior EU diplomat had also favored a navigation union of European countries that doesn't involve the European Union, NATO or the United States directly, making it easier for the Europeans to rally round it to guarantee the freedom of navigation.

The EMASOH won the political support from eight EU members states on January 20, including Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and France. 

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the key routes for global oil transit. In 2019, when tensions soared among Iran, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, a series of incidents with oil tankers in the Middle East had raised the alarm that regional tensions may escalate further.

Two oil tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz while they transited the Gulf of Oman, followed by Iran shooting down an American surveillance drone in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the eight willing countries, the conflicts have "undermined the freedom of navigation and the safety of European and foreign ships and crews for months" and "jeopardized trade and energy supply, which is likely to have economic consequences in the whole world."

The mission's main goal is supposed to be to prevent further incidents in the region.

With the EMASOH, the eight European countries aim to contribute to the protection of oil tankers and cargo ships, but also to a broader de-escalation in the volatile region.

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