Greece is prepared to join a UN-backed mission to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Kyriakos...

Greece is prepared to join a UN-backed mission to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Friday at the close of the European Council summit in Brussels. Mitsotakis called free passage through Hormuz the single most important result of the recent U.S.-Iran agreement, saying the ultimate goal is a return to conditions where vessels can transit the strait without fees or restrictions. He made clear that any Greek military involvement would require formal UN Security Council authorization, adding that Athens has already raised the issue at the UN level. The stakes for Greece are concrete. Greek shipowners operate one of the largest commercial fleets in the world, and the Hormuz crisis directly disrupted their traffic and rattled global energy markets. Mitsotakis framed Greek participation not just as an international obligation but as a matter of direct national economic interest. On the EU budget front, the prime minister reaffirmed Greece's push to protect Cohesion Policy funding and agricultural subsidies in negotiations over the bloc's next long-term spending plan. He also welcomed progress on EU migration return procedures and said falling global fuel prices should bring some relief to Greek consumers in the months ahead. Greece has been positioning itself as an active voice in Eastern Mediterranean and broader regional security conversations, pointing to both its geography and the scale of its shipping industry as reasons it deserves a place in Hormuz-related decision-making. #Greece #Hormuz #MaritimeSecurity