Paris (France) (AFP) – France’s aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle was on Wednesday heading towards the southern Red Sea to pre-position for a possible mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Paris said. The move was intended to send “a signal that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz but that we are also capable of doing so,” an aide to President Emmanuel Macron told reporters. Traffic in the strategic waterway, through which around one-fifth of the world’s crude oil normally transits, has all but stopped since conflict erupted in the Middle East in late February.
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission towards restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which they say would be entirely defensive and only deployed once the war ended. Macron said on X he told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday of his “deep concern” at escalation in the Gulf region amid stalling peace talks. “All parties must lift the blockade of the strait, without delay and without conditions,” he said on X, in reference to a US blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran’s own chokehold on the vital sea route.
The Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the French navy, and its escorts were transiting through the Suez Canal en route to the southern Red Sea, the defence ministry said. The decision was intended “to reduce the time needed to implement this initiative as soon as circumstances allow,” the ministry said. More than 40 countries have begun military planning towards the Hormuz mission following talks hosted by Britain. Macron’s aide said France was taking action as “the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, the damage to the global economy is becoming increasingly severe, and the risk of prolonged hostilities is too serious for us to accept”.
– ‘Common interest’ – France has proposed to the United States and Iran that they “deal with the issue of the Strait of Hormuz separately” from the rest of the conflict. “It is in the common interest,” the aide said. “We can offer Iran the chance to pass through the Strait of Hormuz again,” on the condition that it agrees to take part in talks with the United States, the aide said. The Americans must in turn “lift their blockade of Hormuz and take advantage of Iran’s willingness to negotiate on key issues,” the Elysee representative added.
If those conditions are met, the coalition can deploy resources to guarantee the safety of vessels passing through the strait and “help restore the confidence needed to calm the markets”. The aircraft carrier has around 20 Rafale fighter jets and is escorted by several frigates. It set sail from the southeastern French port city of Toulon in January for a deployment to the North Atlantic. But in early March, it was redirected to the eastern Mediterranean to defend French interests and allied countries struck by Iran’s retaliation for Israeli-American attacks.
© 2024 AFP
