The French aircraft carrier Charles-De-Gaulle and its escort passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday to pre-position in the Persian Gulf region. The sailors were sent there, in the event of a mission being triggered, promoted by Paris and London, to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The French President Emmanuel Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are at the origin of an initiative to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, blocked after the outbreak of the war in Iran.
According to the Ministry of Armed Forces of France, the over 40 states that would participate in the mission have begun military planning in London, reports Agepres.
The presence of the group near the Persian Gulf will allow for “assessing the regional operational security environment by anticipating the triggering of the initiative” and “will provide additional exit options from the crisis for strengthening the security of the region,” the French officials conveyed.
The aircraft carrier, which carries 20 Rafale fighter planes and is escorted by several frigates, left the port of Toulon at the end of January, for a deployment in the North Atlantic. On March 3, the ship was redirected towards the Eastern Mediterranean, to defend the interests of France and the allied countries affected by Iran’s retaliation to the American-Israeli attacks.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continued despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 8. In response, Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and subsequently launched Operation Project Freedom on Monday to allow the passage of hundreds of ships blocked in the Gulf. This operation was suspended on Wednesday.