French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Wednesday that France’s aircraft carrier strike group is heading south of the Suez Canal into the Red Sea as preparations intensify for a possible joint French-British operation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The move places Europe’s most powerful warship closer to the strategic waterway, whose disruption has become a defining feature of the conflict involving Iran.
The situation has left hundreds of vessels stranded and caused what the International Energy Agency described as the largest oil supply disruption in global market history.
According to French authorities, the proposed mission is separate from the US-led “Project Freedom,” which began on Monday before being suspended by President Donald Trump on Tuesday night.
The deployment of the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and its accompanying escorts forms part of a wider initiative backed by France and Britain aimed at restoring maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions permit.
“It may help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers,” Macron said on X. “It remains distinct from the parties at war.”
Macron, who held discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, noted that he also plans to discuss the issue with Trump.
“A return to calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations on nuclear issues, ballistic matters, and the regional situation,” Macron wrote. “Europeans … will play their part.”
French armed forces spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet explained that the Hormuz coalition — involving France, Britain and more than 50 other countries — would only commence operations after two key conditions are met. According to him, the security threat to commercial shipping must reduce significantly, while confidence among maritime operators must improve enough for normal transit to resume.
He also told The Associated Press that any eventual operation would require approval from neighboring states, including Iran, which borders the strategic strait and has effectively shut it down through attacks and threats against vessels following the outbreak of war on Feb. 28 involving the US and Israel.
Vernet did not reveal the expected arrival date of the carrier group but emphasized that the deployment was intended to ensure France is positioned to respond if the necessary conditions are achieved.
“The French position is the same since the beginning — defensive posture, respecting international law,” he said.
Industry estimates indicate that war-risk insurance costs for ships passing through the strait have surged to four or five times above prewar levels.
“For now, insurance premiums are so high that ‘not a single ship will jeopardize their trip or go there,’” Vernet stated.
Reports indicate that Washington has not participated in the French-British planning efforts, a development analysts say resembles the European “coalition of the willing” assembled by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in support of Ukraine.
“We want to send the message that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but that we are also capable of doing so,” a senior French official said anonymously, in keeping with French presidency protocol.
At the onset of the conflict, France advocated for a multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation through the strait. Macron and Starmer subsequently hosted representatives from dozens of countries at a Paris summit on April 17, while military planners from over 30 nations later completed operational arrangements.
The Charles de Gaulle had earlier been redirected from the Baltic Sea to the eastern Mediterranean shortly after hostilities began, as part of what French authorities described as an “unprecedented” military deployment involving eight frigates and two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships.
Meanwhile, French Rafale fighter jets stationed at Al Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates have reportedly been intercepting Iranian drones and missiles over the Gulf region since the conflict erupted. The operations are being carried out under a long-standing defense agreement with Abu Dhabi, where approximately 900 French military personnel are based.
