The China Mail - France, allies preparing 'defensive' mission to reopen Strait of Hormuz: Macron

The French leader landed by helicopter on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, dispatched to the Mediterranean after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 triggered a war that has sown chaos in the Middle East and threatens to spill into other regions.

Macron said during a visit to Cyprus earlier in the day that the Hormuz mission would be aimed at escorting container ships and tankers in order to gradually reopen the strait "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict".

"This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again," Macron said during a visit to the island to discuss regional security.

Speaking alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron said a "purely defensive, purely support mission" will be put together by European and non-European states.

The European Union on Monday said it was ready to "enhance" its operations to protect maritime traffic in the Middle East.

The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader regional war.

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key Gulf waterway through which a fifth of global crude passes, has all but halted since the war broke out on February 28.

Macron visited Cyprus after the island nation and EU member was targeted by Iranian-made drones in early March.

The French leader said an attack on Cyprus was an attack on all of Europe.

"When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked," he said.

"We will not accept that the slightest piece of European territory, like Cyprus, be exposed to danger," added Mitsotakis.

The drone attack in Cyprus led to France's deployment of the Charles de Gaulle carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defence units to the island.

Paris has insisted its stance in the region is "strictly defensive".

- 'Freedom of navigation' -

Aboard the Charles de Gaulle, Macron was due to speak with the sailors serving in the carrier strike group, the Elysee said.

The flagship is at the heart of a French naval operation that will also mobilise eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers in a vast area including the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, he said.

A French frigate was already taking part in the EU's "Operation Aspides", which was launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.

Macron said that France would contribute "in the long term" with two frigates to Operation Aspides.

"What we want to do is to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security," he said.

Separately, Macron on Monday morning spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, the Elysee said.

V.Fan--ThChM