French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France and its allies are preparing a “defensive” naval mission aimed at reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict in the Middle East enters its second week.
According to a report by Le Monde citing Agence France-Presse (AFP), Macron made the remarks during a visit to Cyprus, an EU member state that was recently targeted by Iranian-made drones. Macron said the proposed mission would be “purely defensive” and focused on escorting commercial vessels through the strait once the most intense phase of the conflict subsides.
“This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again,” Macron said while speaking in Paphos, on Cyprus' southwestern coast.
The French president was addressing the media alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He said France would set up a “purely defensive, purely support mission” with the participation of several European and non-European partners.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world's crude oil supply passes, has been severely disrupted since hostilities escalated on February 28. Later on Monday, Macron was scheduled to visit the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, currently stationed off the coast of Crete. The carrier is at the centre of a broader French naval deployment that includes eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers operating across the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, the report said.
France is already participating in the European Union's maritime security effort, Operation Aspides, launched in 2024 to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces. Macron said France would contribute two additional frigates to the mission “in the long term.”
“What we want to do is to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security,” Macron said.
The French leader's visit to Cyprus came days after the island was struck by Iranian-made drones earlier in March. Macron warned that any attack on Cyprus should be viewed as a broader attack on Europe.
“When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked,” he said.
Following the drone incident, France deployed the Charles de Gaulle carrier group to the Mediterranean, along with a frigate and air-defence systems to Cyprus, emphasising that its military posture in the region remains “strictly defensive.”
Meanwhile, the European Union said on Monday it is prepared to “enhance” its maritime operations to safeguard shipping routes in the Middle East, as the regional conflict continues to disrupt global trade flows, according to Le Monde and AFP.
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