The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, flagship of the French Navy, crossed the Suez Canal on Wednesday in anticipation of a hypothetical European mission to secure the maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz. "The coalition is ready," warned a spokesperson for Emmanuel Macron, who stated that the approach of the flagship of the French Navy to the conflict zone is a sign of the "readiness and capability" of the coalition of more than 40 "non-belligerent" countries.
The decision to cross the canal was made "several days ago" after intense contacts between President Emmanuel Macron and European leaders, as reported by Le Figaro. The preparations for the mission, "neutral and very different from the belligerent countries," had been in progress since mid-April following the summit convened at the Elysee Palace by the French president, attended by "premier" Keir Starmer, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The mission will be "strictly defensive" and conditioned on the cessation of hostilities, as explained by the Elysee spokesperson: "If the mentioned conditions are met, the coalition will be able to deploy resources in the region to ensure the security of ships crossing the strait and thus restore the necessary confidence for the stabilization of oil markets, as well as the reduction of insurance premiums and the restoration of normal trade flows."
The approach to the conflict zone is not interpreted as an imminent entry into action. Macron has emphasized that the mission will be "strictly defensive" and only at the time of the cessation of hostilities. Additionally, the French president gathered around his "coalition of volunteers" in the Middle East in mid-April (including Spain), but only about a dozen have committed to providing military support in a supposed operation of "surveillance and security of maritime traffic" in the Strait of Hormuz, apart from US military actions.
The aeronaval group of the Charles de Gaulle will be temporarily anchored "in the southern Red Sea," as reported by Le Figaro. The new deployment will serve, according to the same military sources, to "reduce implementation times" of the European mission "as soon as circumstances allow."
However, the approach to the conflict zone is not seen as an imminent entry into action. The French government expresses hope that negotiations between the United States and Iran will bear fruit and that both countries will commit to unlocking the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.