French President Emmanuel Macron rejects a forced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, calling for a ceasefire and coordinated action with Iran instead.
SEOUL: French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed calls for a military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as “unrealistic”.
He made the remarks during a visit to South Korea, stating that such an action would be excessively time-consuming and expose shipping to coastal threats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
“There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States,” Macron said.
“I say sometimes because it has varied, it is never the option we have chosen and we consider it unrealistic.”
The vital oil shipping lane has been paralysed for weeks by the Middle East war, driving up global crude prices.
Macron argued that reopening the strait “can only be done in concert with Iran,” calling first for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations.
He also expressed frustration with the daily changing statements from US President Donald Trump on the conflict.
“You have to be serious. When you want to be serious, you don’t say the opposite every day of what you said the day before,” Macron stated.
The French leader added that Trump’s comments were undermining the NATO alliance by creating daily doubt about US commitments.
Trump has previously made reopening the strait a condition for a ceasefire and suggested other nations should secure the passage.
“You know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there,” Trump said in a recent address.
“Let South Korea do it. Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the Strait.”
Macron’s visit to South Korea included talks with President Lee Jae Myung and a tribute to French Korean War veterans.
South Korean leader Lee warned the National Assembly that the current crisis is “like a massive storm that could last indefinitely.”
The war has already prompted South Korea to impose a fuel price cap and propose a special wartime budget.