EU's Kallas floats Black Sea model to unblock Strait of Hormuz

BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday she had discussed with the United ​Nations the idea of freeing up transport of oil and gas through the Strait ‌of Hormuz by replicating a deal that gets grain out of Ukraine during wartime.

Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Kallas said she had spoken to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres ​about the idea to unblock the strait, currently choked off due to the ​Iran war.

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“I had talks with Antonio Guterres about whether it was possible ⁠to also have the same kind of initiative like we had (with) the Black Sea ​Initiative,” Kallas said.

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, ​now in its third week. Iranian forces have attacked ships in the narrow channel between Iran and Oman, choking off a fifth of global oil supply in the biggest disruption ever.

Kallas said the closure ​of the strait was “really dangerous” for energy supplies to Asia but was also a problem ​for the production of fertilisers.

“And if there is a lack of fertilisers this year, there’s going to ‌be also ⁠food deprivation next year,” Kallas said. She did not provide any more details.

Kallas said ministers would also discuss whether it was possible to change the mandate of the EU’s small Middle East naval mission, Aspides, which currently focuses on protecting ships in the Red ​Sea from Yemen’s Houthi ​rebel group.

“It is ⁠in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that’s why we are also discussing what we can do in this ​regard from the European side,” she said.

Asked about the scepticism expressed by ​German Foreign ⁠Minister Johann Wadephul on whether Aspides could be useful in the Strait of Hormuz, Kallas said: “Of course we need to also have the member states on board.”

“If the member states say that ⁠we ​are not doing anything with this, then of course ​it’s their decision, but we have to discuss how we help to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.”

Reporting by ​Lili Bayer, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Andrew Gray; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Kate Mayberry

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