At the Paris Conference on the Strait of Hormuz, around 50 countries involved demanded an immediate, unconditional and complete reopening of the Strait by all parties in the Iran war. “We demand the restoration of the pre-war conditions of free passage and full respect for the law of the sea,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after the meeting. “We reject any restrictions, any agreement that would amount to a de facto attempt to privatize the strait – and of course any toll system.”
France wants to organize a neutral naval operation with Great Britain, which clearly separates itself from the warring parties, in order to accompany and secure merchant ships crossing the Gulf along the Iranian coast. A planning meeting will be held in London next week, which will be accompanied by close coordination with the Americans and Israel.
Message of unity
“Today’s message is a message of hope. It is at the same time a message of preparation and a message of unity,” Macron said. The Europeans stand on the side of the countries of the Gulf region, Asia, the African continent, Latin America and the Pacific region.
After weeks of blockade due to the Iran war, the government in Tehran announced shortly after the start of the Paris conference that it wanted to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of oil tankers and merchant ships. Conversely, the USA wants to maintain its own naval blockade, which only affects ships with a starting or destination port in Iran, as President Donald Trump emphasized.