French Aircraft Carrier Pre-Positions for Possible Hormuz Mission

France’s aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle was on Wednesday heading towards the southern Red Sea to pre-position for a possible mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the presidency and defense ministry said. President Emmanuel Macron’s office said the move was intended to send “a signal that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz but that we are also capable of doing so”. The flagship of the French Navy and its escorts was transiting the Suez Canal en route to the southern Red Sea, the defense ministry said. The decision was intended “to reduce the time needed to implement this initiative as soon as circumstances allow,” the ministry said. Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasizing the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed. More than 40 countries have begun military planning in London. “The movement of the carrier strike group is separate from the military operations initiated in the region and complements the security posture,” the defense ministry said. Its presence near the Gulf will allow “an early assessment of the regional operational environment ahead of the possible launch of the initiative” and “offer additional crisis-exit options to strengthen the security of the region,” the ministry added. The aircraft carrier around twenty Rafale fighter jets and is escorted by several frigates. It set sail from the southeastern French port city of Toulon in January for a deployment to the North Atlantic. But in early March, it was redirected to the eastern Mediterranean to defend French interests and allied countries struck by Iran’s retaliation for Israeli-American attacks.