French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday ordered a large deployment of French ships to the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to assist the US in reopening the major shipping route.
Per the Telegraph, France will deploy eight frigates, two amphibious helicopters, and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region, where the vessels are expected to join the US in reopening the strait. The Strait of Hormuz sees around one-fifth of the world’s oil pass through it.
In announcing the deployment during a visit to a military base in Cyprus, Macron said on Monday, "We are in the process of setting up a purely defensive, purely escort mission, which must be prepared together with both European and non-European states, and whose purpose is to enable, as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict has ended, the escort of container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our objective is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation," he said, adding, "ultimately, we aim to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security."
Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States Navy would begin escorting tankers through the strait "as soon as possible," and that the United States Development Finance Corporation had been ordered to provide political risk insurance and guarantees for ships traveling through the strait.
Macron’s visit to Cyprus, a former British colony, comes as the UK reportedly struggles to send a single warship to the island nation where a UK military base was hit by an Iranian-made drone earlier in March. Downing Street has suggested that Keir Starmer may not deploy HMS Prince of Wales, Britain’s only available aircraft carrier.
