France will soon organize with Britain a conference aimed at restoring freedom of navigation on the Strait of Hormuz, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, adding that any such naval mission would be done on a strictly defensive basis only.
“With regards to the Strait of Hormuz, we will be organizing in the coming days a conference with the United Kingdom and those countries willing to join us in a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait,” Macron said on X.
“This strictly defensive mission, which will be separate from the warring parties, is intended to be deployed as soon as the situation allows,” he added.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain will not join the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the strategic Strait of Hormuz trade route should open “as soon as possible”. “Negotiations with Iran should be conducted, persuasion methods should be used, and the strait should be opened as soon as possible,” he told the official Anadolu news agency. (Agencies)
