French Flagship Aircraft Carrier Ready To Deploy To Hormuz On Short Notice To Keep Strait Open, Says Macron

Published 15 June 2026 · world

French Flagship Aircraft Carrier Ready To Deploy To Hormuz On Short Notice To Keep Strait Open, Says Macron Published By, Last Updated: June 15, 2026

French Flagship Aircraft Carrier Ready To Deploy To Hormuz On Short Notice To Keep Strait Open, Says Macron Published By, Last Updated: June 15, 2026, 18:25 IST France, UK, Germany & Italy back a defensive mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Iran deal. Macron says french flagship carrier can be in zone within 2-3 days. Rapid Read The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) underway in the Ionian Sea on 17 March 2022. (Image Courtesy: US Navy) French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France’s flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is ready to reach the Strait of Hormuz “on a timescale of two to three days," as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy jointly backed a defensive naval mission to reopen the waterway following a US-Iran agreement to end hostilities in the Middle East.

Speaking to TF1 television ahead of the G7 summit in France, Macron said a joint France-UK mission was prepared to deploy “very quickly" and that Paris would “do everything" to ensure Iran imposes no tolls on the strait. In a joint statement, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the “urgent" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with “unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation." The four leaders said they were “committed to playing our part," including through “a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations." The statement described the moment as “an opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilise the global economy." Germany and its European partners had signalled willingness to support a safe reopening of the strait before the US-Iran agreement was announced, on the condition that hostilities ended first.

On Iran’s nuclear programme, the four leaders were unequivocal: Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. They called for the detailed negotiations arising from the US-Iran agreement to be “concluded and implemented rapidly and comprehensively," and said they were ready to support that effort. The statement held out the prospect of lifting relevant sanctions provided Iran takes “clear and verifiable steps" on its nuclear programme. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most trafficked shipping lanes, through which a substantial share of global oil exports passes. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Anoshito Banerjee Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs.