France’s Macron says military operation to ‘liberate’ Strait of Hormuz ‘unrealistic’

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that a military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz is “unrealistic”, while lamenting Donald Trump’s differing daily statements on the Iran war and Nato.“There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States,” Macron said during a visit to South Korea.“I say sometimes because it has varied, it is never the option we have chosen and we consider it unrealistic,” he said.Macron said such an operation would take excessive time and expose those crossing the strait to “coastal threats”, particularly from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “who possess significant resources as well as ballistic missiles”.“This can only be done in concert with Iran,” the French leader added, calling first for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations.The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil, has been virtually paralysed for weeks by the Middle East war, pushing up prices for crude and related products worldwide.