Paris, April 17 -- European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and France, have the capacity to conduct mine-clearing operations to help secure vital shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin said on Friday, according to the French TV Station TF1.

Vautrin told TF1 that European states could provide "fully supported escort services" or vessels transiting from a strategically important waterway.

According to TF1, Vautrin also said that efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would be discussed in talks scheduled later in Paris on Friday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to host a virtual meeting of world leaders to discuss efforts to r...