New Zealand is completely dependent on fuel imports via the Strait of Hormuz. The potential involvement of New Zealand's naval forces in the ongoing conflict was analyzed on Tuesday by The Conversation website, noting that although it will probably not take the form of direct combat operations, it is highly likely the country can send its warships to protect shipping lanes and participate in intelligence exchanges.
Will New Zealand react to the war in the Middle East? “It is capable of causing damage.”
A signal of New Zealand's readiness came on Sunday, March 22, when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the group of 22 countries, including New Zealand, was “coming together” to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
On the same day, New Zealand media quoted the statements of many experts assessing their country's role in the conflict in the Middle East. — The New Zealand Navy is capable of doing some damage in the Middle East, but it must be prepared to encounter problems from Iranian drones, said one political analyst and navy veteran in the New Zealand Herald.
The country's authorities deny the allegations
The opposition in the country started an outcry, and the leader of the center-left Labor Party, former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, was quoted by Radio New Zealand and asked publicly with feigned horror: – What has our government committed to?
— What nonsense, what nonsense, New Zealand is not a party to this conflict and we have absolutely no intention of joining it, Foreign Minister Winston Peters had to explain in Parliament on Tuesday.
Regardless of what New Zealand has committed to, it has experience operating in Middle Eastern waters, having gained experience in operations in the Red Sea against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
