French Fleet Steams for Strait of Hormuz

French and allied warships will escort tankers and other commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, French President Emmanuel Macron said from the eastern Mediterranean Sea island of Cyprus on Monday. He called the mission purely “defensive” and “essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave the region once again.”

Oil and gas prices spiked to their highest levels since 2022 due to Iran’s threats to strike vessels transiting Hormuz. They dropped again after President Trump indicated that the war was nearly “complete.”

Big number: Roughly 20 percent of oil consumed globally passes through this strait.

• Iranian proxy Hezbollah launched three drones against the British military base on Cyprus on March 2, one of which struck an airfield and caused minor damage. Two were intercepted, as were additional drones on March 4.
• Greece, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey, in roughly that order, have dispatched forces to the area.
• France’s deployment includes its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, eight frigates, two amphibious assault ships and other vessels.

Red Sea red zone: The European mission aspides, separate from nato, has operated in the Red Sea since February 2024. Yesterday the European Union said it was willing to reinforce that operation and to “better respond to the situation.” Macron announced from Cyprus that this would include two French frigates. nato, Europe and Iran all have forces or proxies near the southern outlet to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb.

France’s potential operation, combined with a bolstered aspides operation, would significantly enhance Europe’s presence in the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, three of the most crucial maritime passages for Europe and the world.

After Europe sent warships into the region in 2024, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry stated that “radical Islam will push at the king of the north—a German-led European empire—and that the Europeans will counterattack, destroy Iran, and take their allies captive.” Part of that push against Europe, he explained, could be over the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. By sending powerful warships to the passages most hotly contested by Iran, Europe is setting the stage for the fulfillment of that prophecy. It won’t be long before Europe takes decisive action against Iran.