PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are bringing together representatives from dozens of nations Friday in an effort to restore access to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping corridor that has been blocked due to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
The gathering in Paris represents an effort by countries not directly involved in the warfare to address the economic fallout from a crisis they neither initiated nor joined. Since hostilities began on February 28, Iran has essentially closed the critical waterway that typically handles one-fifth of global oil shipments.
Notably absent from the planning process is the United States, as the initiative has been dubbed the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Freedom of Navigation Initiative. Writing on X before Friday’s conference, Macron described the shipping security mission as “strictly defensive,” restricted to non-combatant nations and to be implemented “when security conditions allow.”
Both Macron and Starmer have been at the forefront of international campaigns to intensify diplomatic and economic pressure against Iran. Starmer has criticized Iran for “holding the world’s economy to ransom.” The situation has become more precarious following President Donald Trump’s declaration of a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.
“The unconditional and immediate reopening of the Strait is a global responsibility, and we need to act to get global energy and trade flowing freely again,” Starmer stated prior to the conference.
The French and British governments have also taken the lead in military coordination discussions, similar to the “coalition of the willing” concept developed for potential Ukraine security arrangements in case of a ceasefire in that conflict.
French military representative Col. Guillaume Vernet indicated Thursday that the operation remains “in construction.”
According to Macron’s administration, participating countries will contribute “each according to its capabilities,” emphasizing that options for ensuring safe transit through the strait will depend on security circumstances following a sustainable ceasefire.
“What matters is that ship operators have all the means at their disposal to be sure their vessels will not be hit if they pass through the strait. That may require intelligence, mine-clearing capabilities, military escorts, communication procedures with coastal states, etc.,” stated a French official who requested anonymity following standard presidential office protocol.
Sidharth Kaushal, who studies maritime power at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested that mine removal and establishing early warning systems for shipping dangers would be more realistic roles for the coalition than providing warship escorts for commercial vessels through the strait.
“You need huge numbers of vessels for that sort of thing, which nobody has,” he explained.
Iran specialist Ellie Geranmayeh, who serves as deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, indicated that mine clearance represents an area where European nations and their allies could contribute effectively.
“They would be a better party to do this than the United States, because once you have U.S. military doing this and lingering on Iranian shores, it creates a potential arena for Iran and the U.S. to have miscalculations and get back into a sort of military tension,” she noted.
Britain has explored deploying mine-detection drones from the vessel RFA Lyme Bay for operations in the Hormuz region.
The conflict has exposed the reduced capacity of Britain’s Royal Navy, which has positioned only one major vessel, the destroyer HMS Dragon, in the eastern Mediterranean. France, possessing the European Union’s strongest military force, has deployed its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the area along with a helicopter carrier and multiple frigates.
Over 40 countries have participated in diplomatic or military discussions coordinated by France and the United Kingdom in recent weeks, though fewer are expected to provide military assets.
Macron’s office announced that approximately 30 nations will participate in Friday’s discussions, including representatives from Middle Eastern and Asian countries. The complete participant list remains confidential. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are anticipated to attend personally, while others will join virtually.
The initiative serves partly as a response to Trump, who has criticized allies for not joining the conflict and declared that reopening the strait is not an American responsibility. The president has labeled allies “cowards,” claimed NATO “wasn’t there when we needed them” and told Britain: “You don’t even have a navy.”
“I imagine there’ll be some desire on the part of many European states, and potentially Canada, to demonstrate the ability to provide security in a way that’s distinct from if not completely separate from the U.S. and which also demonstrates a capacity for independent action,” Kaushal observed.
“How many states actually have spare capacity to offer to this is a pretty open question.”
