French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to pave the way for a neutral naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a telephone conversation with Pezeshkian, he promoted the multinational mission planned by France and the United Kingdom, which could help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers, Macron wrote on the X platform on Wednesday.
Recent events had clearly shown how useful such a mission could be, Macron said. He had urged Pezeshkian to seize this opportunity and also intended to discuss the matter with US President Donald Trump.
“A return to calm in the Strait will help to advance negotiations on the nuclear programme, the missile issue and the regional situation,” Macron wrote. “The Europeans, on whom the lifting of sanctions depends, will play their part in this.”
The mission would, by its very nature, remain neutral between the warring parties. The deployment of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the vicinity of the Strait should be seen in the context of the mission, Macron said.
“All parties must lift the blockade of the Strait immediately and unconditionally. There must be a permanent return to the complete freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict.”
According to the Élysée Palace, the French approach aims to persuade the United States to lift its naval blockade, thereby encouraging Iran, in return, to engage in substantive negotiations and lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
France has coordinated its thinking with its close partners, a senior diplomat said.
