French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris and its allies are preparing for a “defensive” mission to resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron said the mission would aim to accompany the tankers “after the end of the most intense phase of the conflict.”
The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will participate in the operation, in addition to eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers. Macron said that it would be held in conjunction with other countries, without specifying those countries.
Up to a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. After the war began, Iran announced that it would prevent it. Against this background, energy prices rose sharply.
France and other European Union countries are among the main buyers of gas and oil from the Gulf states. For them, the long-term disruption of supplies from the region and the sharp rise in global prices are much more important than, say, a war waged by the United States.