The Dutch navy is dispatching the minesweeper HNLMS Willemstad to the Mediterranean this week, where it will join an ongoing NATO mission, Dutch Defence Minister Yesilgöz and Foreign Minister Berendsen announced in a letter to parliament. The vessel could be redirected to the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, currently closed to shipping following the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran — to help escort commercial ships and oil tankers once the strait reopens. No final decision has been made on a full Dutch contribution to a Hormuz security coalition, but the government said preparations are also under way for a possible search, diving, and explosives-disposal team, and any deployment to the strait would require a parliamentary debate.