The EU's Red Sea naval mission will be purely defensive, unlike the US-led one, Europe has said, amid concern the US and Iran are heading for a direct clash.
"Aspidus: It's named after the ancient Greek word for shield. It's a shield to act in a purely defensive mode to defend merchant vessels ... it will not carry out any operations on land, only at sea," said EU foreign relations chief Josep Borrell in Brussels on Wednesday (31 January).
It will "not be participating in any ki...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.