Macron says France will not join US-led operations in the Strait of Hormuz, calling for a coordinated reopening between Iran and the US.
YEREVAN: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday welcomed the help announced by US President Donald Trump for ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz but ruled out French participation, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
“We will not take part in any violent operations, especially as the framework for this does not appear clear to me,” Macron said in Yerevan at the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC).
Under the leadership of France and the United Kingdom, an international coalition has been formed for a neutral naval deployment in the strait after an end to the fighting.
On Sunday US President Donald Trump said the US would help ships “which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz” to exit the key waterway.
Macron praised the move. “That is what we have demanded from the beginning,” the French president said.
“We have built an ad hoc mission that we are working on. Military planning took place in London but above all we want a coordinated reopening between Iran and the United States,” Macron added.
“That is the only solution that makes it possible, in the long term, to open the Strait of Hormuz, ensure free shipping, and do so without restrictions or tolls.”
