French warship moves towards Hormuz for possible defensive mission

Iran says it is reviewing a US proposal that Donald Trump says could bring the war to an end.A French aircraft carrier is heading south of the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea in preparation for a possible defensive mission aimed at restoring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically critical waterway that has been effectively blocked amid the Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38678" data-entity-type="event">US-Israel war on Iran.The French Ministry of Armed Forces said on Wednesday the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle was en route to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s traded oil transited prior to the war.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3China calls for end to Iran war and Hormuz to reopen during Araghchi visitlist 2 of 3Operation Epic Fury has ended: Is the Iran war over?list 3 of 3Has the US accepted Iran’s demand to settle Hormuz first, nuclear later?end of listFrench President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission towards restoring freedom of navigation in the strait, which they say would be entirely defensive and deployed only once the war ended.“[It] may help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers,” Macron said on X. “It remains distinct from the parties at war.”Macron, who spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, said he also intends to raise the matter with United States President Donald Trump.“A return to calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations on nuclear issues, ballistic matters, and the regional situation,” Macron wrote.“Europeans … will play their part.”France is framing the mission as a win-win solution for Iran and the US in an effort to incentivise them to agree.“What we are proposing is ⁠that Iran gains passage for its ships through the strait and in return commits to negotiating with the Americans on issues of nuclear materials, missiles, and the region, and we propose that the Americans, for their part, lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and, in return, obtain Iran’s commitment to negotiations,” a French presidency official ⁠told the AFP news agency.