Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany would consider taking part in mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz only once it was clear that fighting had ended and both the United States and Iran supported such a mission.
"We first need to know whether it is clear that there are no more hostilities and whether both sides want others to clear the mines," Wadephul told broadcaster ZDF on Monday.
"If that is the case, we can discuss it."
He said any German participation would require an appropriate legal framework under international and German law and would need parliamentary approval.
"We are prepared for that. We are ready to do it," Wadephul said, while adding that the conditions for an imminent parliamentary mandate were not yet in place.
Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy earlier expressed readiness to support the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including through a purely defensive and independent mission aimed at reassuring commercial vessels and clearing mines.
The statement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni followed a framework agreement between the US and Iran aimed at ending the war after weeks of negotiations.
The agreement, due to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, includes an extension of the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, although many details have yet to be disclosed.
Wadephul said the deal must address Iran's nuclear programme.
"It must be about Iran understanding that it cannot be nuclear-armed. That is absolutely clear," he said, adding that France, Britain and Germany would insist on guarantees on the issue.
Otherwise, Europe would not be able to ease sanctions on Iran, he said.
