French aircraft carrier "De Gaulle" arrives in the Arabian Sea to prepare for escort operations

On May 15, Xinhua News Agency reported from Paris (Reporter Sun Yi) that French Ministerial Representative for Defense, Alice Lufour, stated in an interview with French commercial FM television that the French Navy's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has arrived and is deployed in the Arabian Sea, preparing for a multinational escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Lufour stated that France's position is to "provide possibilities" for the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the approach is entirely "defensive" and "in accordance with international law."

According to French media reports, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier passed through the Suez Canal on the 6th of this month and then stayed for several days at a logistics support point in Djibouti.

On the 10th, French President Macron stated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz through the deployment of military forces "has never been an option for France." He indicated that the escort operation is jointly led by France and the United Kingdom, aimed at negotiating with Iran and communicating with regional countries and the United States to prevent conflict and ensure the resumption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions permit.

On April 17, Macron and UK Prime Minister Starmer hosted an international conference in Paris, focusing on issues such as ending the current Middle East conflict through diplomatic means, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and providing security guarantees for shipping in the Strait after stabilizing the situation. The two leaders stated that their countries would lead a defensive multinational operation to ensure the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz when conditions allow. On April 22, the UK and France hosted a two-day multinational military planning meeting in London to advance the formulation of plans related to the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.