Latvia plans to send up to 20 troops to clear Hormuz Strait
Tuesday 8th September 2026 on 15:01 in
Latvia
Latvia plans to send up to 20 soldiers to help clear the Hormuz Strait of naval mines, LSM reported. The government on Tuesday approved the participation of the National Armed Forces in multinational military operations to clear the strait.
The Defence Ministry said the strait had been contaminated with various types of sea mines as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. Clearing the mines is critically important to ensure freedom of navigation and the right of transit passage established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it said.
Latvia plans to deploy a National Armed Forces Navy explosive ordnance disposal unit capable of using autonomous mine-clearance systems. It also plans to send National Armed Forces staff officers and instructors to operational or tactical headquarters located both in the territories of coalition-leading countries and in the area of operations.
The full mine-clearance operation, as part of broader operations to ensure freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait, is expected to last 12 to 16 months. Latvia’s participation in a US-led coalition operation and a multinational operation led by the United Kingdom and France is planned to continue until September 1, 2028.
The Latvian parliament must still decide on the country’s participation in the military operations to clear the Hormuz Strait.
Context
According to LSM, fighting in the Middle East began on February 28, when the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran. The conflict affected a large part of the region as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes against US allies.
The conflict also affected the global economy. Thousands of flights were cancelled and oil prices rose sharply after Iran blocked the Hormuz Strait, significantly hindering international trade. On June 15, the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end hostilities, including in Lebanon, and several days later the countries’ presidents physically signed an interim agreement.