France wants to unblock the Strait of Hormuz

President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will lead a European defensive mission aimed at resuming maritime transport in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation is intended to prevent a further increase in oil and natural gas prices triggered by the armed conflict in the Middle East.

Macron visited Cyprus

The French president was at the naval base in Paphos in Cyprus on Monday, March 9 this year. During the visit he declared full support for the island country, which last week was the target of an Iranian air attack – fortunately the drones were shot down in time and caused no damage. When Cyprus is attacked, Europe is attacked, said the French leader.

During a speech delivered on board the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which arrived in Paphos last weekend, Macron announced the planned mission to restore ship traffic in the Middle East. France has decided to send more than a dozen warships to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

Defensive peace mission with American threats in the background

The French navy will lead a fleet of combat ships from other countries, both European and non-EU. We are establishing a purely defensive and supportive mission which – once the hottest phase of the conflict is over – will allow escorting container ships and tankers and gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Macron announced.

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on EU countries to join the mission and show the world the strength of European solidarity at sea.

The initiative is a response to the dramatic increase in oil prices – over the weekend it exceeded the symbolic barrier of 100 dollars. On Monday the price per barrel rose to 120 dollars and then began to systematically fall (after Donald Trump stated that the conflict was moving towards its end).

The American president also threatened that if Iran in any way obstructs fuel transport through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will intensify the attacks twentyfold. Nevertheless the authorities in Tehran assure that they will not allow the export of even 1 liter of oil. Current global prices of this raw material fluctuate between 90 and 94 dollars per barrel.

European maritime missions have a long history

France is not leading a maritime operation aimed at stabilizing the situation in the Middle East for the first time. During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, French naval forces commanded Operation Prometheus. Its goal was to escort tankers, monitor key sea routes and clear the area of mines in order to secure global oil transport. The mission lasted 14 months and according to observers ended in success – navigation through the Strait of Hormuz continued and French ships did not suffer any major damage.

Currently the European Union conducts three maritime operations of a stabilizing, humanitarian and economic support character. Since 2008 European ships have been patrolling the western part of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters in order to combat piracy and protect vessels transporting food as part of aid programs for Africa. In 2020 the IRINI mission was launched in the Mediterranean Sea to counter illegal oil exports from Libya and combat human smuggling.

Since 2024 the EU has been carrying out the ASPIDES mission. It covers the area from the Red Sea to the Strait of Hormuz. The initiative was launched after maritime attacks by Houthi fighters and is intended to protect commercial ships and support the security of the main maritime trade routes in the region. On February 23 this year the European Commission announced that it would support Operation ASPIDES with an additional 15 million euros so that it can continue until the end of February 2027.

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main photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bela Chambers/Wikimedia