ROME, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Friday that contributions to an EU naval mission protecting Red Sea shipping remain insufficient, as Rome presses allies to do more to safeguard traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
• In a statement issued after meeting in Rome with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Crosetto welcomed a decision by some member states to contribute additional assets to Aspides, without identifying the countries involved
• However, those contributions are still not enough to guarantee the safe passage of merchant vessels, Crosetto said
• Italy last month urged allies to increase their involvement, saying it was ready to deploy its own ships to avoid delays caused by the EU’s decision-making process
• Kallas said last month that Aspides would need more than 10 warships to effectively carry out its mission
• The European Union’s Aspides mission was launched in 2024 to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, with diplomats saying six warships are currently deployed
• The Houthis have made rapid gains in recent weeks along the Red Sea coast, further complicating navigation in a region that also includes the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic had already fallen sharply amid the U.S.-Iran conflict
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Alvise Armellini)
