War in the Middle East: the aircraft carrier "Charles-De-Gaulle" positioned in the Red Sea

A preventive deployment. The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and his escort arrived “on area” off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula where they are prepositioned in the event of the triggering of a “neutral” mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, announced Friday May 15 the Minister Delegate for the Armed Forces, Alice Rufo. “It has passed the Suez Canal, it has advanced towards the Arabian Sea and it is in the area, but it is not in the Strait of Hormuz”a-t-elle déclaré à la presse.

This positioning aims “to offer the possibility of resuming freedom of maritime movement in the strait, but according to a modality which is not at all an offensive modality, but completely defensive and in compliance with international law”she added. In a message on X, the delegate minister then affirmed that the aircraft carrier “finds himself[ait] in the area, in the Red Sea, as part of a defensive mission in favor of respect for maritime freedom and at a distance from the belligerents”.

The flagship of the French fleet passed the Suez Canal on May 6, before a stopover of several days in Djibouti, where France has a support point. Its presence in the Gulf region “gives us the means to assess the situation and to weigh in on the regional and global diplomatic equation”explained the Minister Delegate. France and the United Kingdom, at the head of a maritime coalition of around forty non-belligerent countries, are proposing a multinational mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz when Iran and the United States agree to lift their respective blockades, and in consultation with these two countries.