France will never take part in operations to reopen Strait of Hormuz, — Macron
France will not participate in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Paris continues to work on forming a coalition capable of ensuring freedom of navigation once hostilities have ended.
This was stated by the country's leader, Emmanuel Macron, as reported by Reuters, according to Censor.NET.
Macron's Statement
"We are not a party to the conflict, and therefore France will never participate in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz under the current circumstances. However, we are convinced that as soon as the situation calms down... we are ready, together with other states, to take responsibility for an escort system," Macron stated at the start of a cabinet meeting dedicated to discussing conflicts in the Middle East.
The day before, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Macron and rated his stance on involving allies in unblocking the Strait of Hormuz as an "8 out of 10." He suggested that France would join the efforts supported by the United States.
What happened before?
- Earlier, Donald Trump reiterated his call for countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stated that some of them are not interested in providing assistance.
- He expressed hope that "China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries" would join in safeguarding navigation.
- At the same time, the German government rejected the US president's demands to participate in the operation.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski emphasized that Poland also has no plans to participate in any such mission.
- The Netherlands also announced that it does not plan to participate in the reopening of the waterway.
- Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated that contributing to the security of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is not a top priority for her country.
