France moves aircraft carrier to Red Sea with eye on Hormuz mission
By John Irish and Elizabeth Pineau
PARIS, May 6 (Reuters) – France on Wednesday deployed its aircraft carrier strike group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, urging Washington and Tehran to consider the offer given the global economic impact of rival blockades.
Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday underlined the risks as the United States and Iran battle for control of the narrow waterway that is a vital artery for global energy and trade, rattling a fragile four-week ceasefire and strengthening rival naval blockades.
“The reason why we have to make a renewed effort today is because the blockade of Hormuz continues, the damage to the world economy is therefore becoming increasingly evident, and the risk of a prolongation of hostilities is too serious for us to accept it,” an official from the French presidency said in a briefing to reporters after the military announced the deployment of the strike group. he said.
FRANCE-ENGLAND RECOMMENDATION ON PLANNING
France and Britain have been working for several weeks on a proposal aimed at laying the foundation for safe passage through the Bosphorus once the situation stabilizes or the conflict is resolved. Coordination with Iran is needed, and a dozen countries have expressed willingness to join the mission after several preparatory meetings.
In the statement made by the French army, it was stated that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group, accompanied by Italian and Dutch warships, set out for the south of the Red Sea.
The deployment aims to assess the regional operational environment, expand crisis management options to strengthen security, ensure the integration of partner countries’ assets within a defense framework consistent with international law, and help reassure maritime trade stakeholders, the military said.
The French presidential official said, “Our offer is that Iran provides its ships with the right of passage through the Bosphorus and in return commits to negotiate with the Americans on nuclear materials, missiles and regional issues, and we recommend that the Americans, on their part, lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and receive Iran’s commitments to the negotiations in return.” he said.
“Under these circumstances, we can deploy multinational force to ensure the security of convoys passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which clearly requires the Iranians not to open fire on the ships.”
HORUZ IS IRAN’S LEVERAGE
It was not clear why Iran would consider such a proposal, given that its control of the Strait has been a key piece of leverage in its talks with Washington to end the war.
“Together, we want to send the signal that we are not only ready to ensure the security of the Strait of Hormuz, but also have the capacity to do so,” the French official said.
“The question now will be to get Iran’s consent, America’s consent.”
European states have largely remained bystanders to the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, but with shipping lanes in the Middle East affected and the price of oil fluctuating around $100 per barrel, European powers are grappling with the issue of how to defend their own interests.
Their refusal to support U.S. President Donald Trump’s blockade has led to Trump’s harsh criticism of countries he accuses of failing to comply with U.S.-led efforts, and the move to send assets to the region could be a way to assuage those concerns.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Keith Weir)
