The French President revealed plans to send 10 warships and an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean and Red Sea, stressing that the deployment is solely for defensive purposes and will not involve attacks on Iran.
On 9 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Emmanuel Macron, the French President, stated that his country will dispatch 8 frigates, 2 amphibious helicopter carriers, and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea as a precautionary measure.
"Our goal is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries that have been retaliated against by Iran, in order to build confidence and help reduce violence in the region," Macron said in Cyprus.
Later, while addressing troops on the Charles de Gaulle, the President said France will work to uphold freedom of navigation, potentially including restoring transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We are not participating in the ongoing conflict and operate within this framework. Your presence here today demonstrates France's strength as a power of balance and peace alongside our allied countries," Macron stated.
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Source:cnn