Italy has said it was sending two warships closer to the Gulf but would only deploy them as part of an international mission in case of a lasting truce in the region, according to AFP.

Speaking to parliament, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has also said that a possible mission to the Strait of Hormuz could only happen with prior approval from lawmakers.

Crosetto has said that the pre-condition for any deployment would be not the ceasefire currently in place “but a real, credible and stable truce or, even better, a definitive peace”.

He said it would take weeks for the minesweepers to reach the region and Italy was therefore “pre-positioning” them, initially to the eastern Mediterranean and then the Red Sea.

“Solely as a precaution… we are arranging for two minehunter units to be positioned relatively closer to the Strait,” Crosetto said.