During a summit to strengthen Franco-Polish cooperation in Gdansk, Emmanuel Macron assured that France was not targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, which was very disrupted after Iran closed this commercial route, following a brief reopening. From Poland, President Emmanuel Macron indicated on Monday, April 20, that “France was not involved” in the Strait of Hormuz, which was newly closed by Iran after a brief reopening. “Several tankers and container ships initiated a departure from the Strait of Hormuz, it is likely that following the American decision to maintain a targeted blockade on Hormuz, (…) the Iranian authorities changed their initial position,” explained Emmanuel Macron. The head of state pointed out an error “on both sides”: the United States conducting a blockade on Iranian ports, but also the Iranian regime deciding to close the Strait of Hormuz.
“It is necessary to continue calming spirits”
“They then proceeded to alerts and warning shots that led the crews to retreat, and they were right, there was no damage and no French casualties,” he assured. In the same vein, the head of state calls to “consolidate” the “unconditional” and “toll-free” reopening of this commercial route. This call comes after 49 “non-belligerent” countries also requested the “full reopening” of the strait. The countries also declared themselves ready for “a neutral mission” to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“It is necessary to continue calming spirits, to move towards the reopening of this important route for international trade, international energy security, and also because of the direct consequences for the lives of our compatriots,” added Emmanuel Macron. After the closure of this route, several commercial ships faced shots and threats from the Iranian army as they tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. A CMA CGM ship also “was the subject (…) of warning shots” in the Strait of Hormuz on the same day.
