German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas speaks during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Moscow, May 10, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Sergei Karpukhin.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday reiterated that Germany would not join a US-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Berlin favored a European mission but warned it was rather difficult to make progress on that.

“At the moment the Britons would rather join an American mission. We won’t do that,” Maas told reporters.

“We want a European mission,” he said, adding that the issue was not off the agenda but it would take time to convince the European Union to carry out such a mission.

The US Embassy in Berlin said on Tuesday the United States had asked Germany to join France and Britain in a mission to protect shipping through the strait and “combat Iranian aggression.” Germany rejected the request.