UPDATE 1-Germany's Scholz "very sceptical" about U.S. mission for Strait of Hormuz

Germany's Vice-Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday he was very skeptical about a request by the United States to join a military mission for the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States has proposed stepping up efforts to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf, at a time of heightened tension between it and Iran. About a fifth of the world's oil passes through the strait. The United States had formally asked Germany to join France and Britain in a mission to secure the strait and to "combat Iranian aggression", the U.S. embassy in Berlin said on Tuesday.

"I'm very skeptical about that, and I think that's a skepticism that many others share," Scholz told ZDF television. Scholz said it was important to avoid a military escalation in the region and that such a mission carried the risk of being dragged into an even bigger conflict.

"That's why I think this is not a good idea," he said. There is considerable opposition among Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition, to getting involved in a U.S-led mission.

Asked whether the coalition parties shared the same view on the U.S. request, Scholz said: "Yes, that's my impression." He said that Berlin still viewed the international nuclear agreement with Iran as the best option to prevent it developing a nuclear bomb.