French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France would “never” help secure the Strait of Hormuz “in the context of the current hostilities” and rejected calls for help from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking at a defense council meeting, Macron said France could help escort ships in the strategic waterway, but only if the situation calmed down. About 20% of the world’s seaborne oil passes through this waterway.
Macron said last week that France and its allies were preparing a “defensive” mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The strait has been effectively closed by Iran in response to the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
The French president stressed at the time that such action would be possible “after the most intense phase of the conflict is over.”
“We are not a party to the conflict, so France will never take part in an operation to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz under the current circumstances,” Macron said on Tuesday.
Macron added: “As soon as the situation calms down, that is, as soon as the core of the explosion stops, we are ready to assume responsibility for the escort system together with other countries.”
“But this requires extensive political and technical work, involving all players in maritime, insurance and operations teams, and we need to build together.”
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed NATO as “stupid” over Iran, saying the United States didn’t need help.
Trump said most U.S. allies had rejected his offer to escort ships through the vital waterway.
“I think NATO is making a very stupid mistake,” Trump told reporters.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was working with allies on a “workable” plan to reopen the Channel but ruled out a NATO mission, while German officials said it had “always been clear this war was not about NATO.”
Japan, Australia, Poland, Spain, Greece and Sweden have also distanced themselves from military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil prices have soared 40% to 50% since Iran began attacking shipping in key waterways and launching waves of missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.
vl/ekf-as/ekf/rh
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
