A group of around thirty participants is expected this Friday in Paris, starting at 2 pm, with Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The goal: to establish a mission to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but only once the fragile Iranian-American ceasefire is consolidated. Explanations.
Who is participating in this meeting?
Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Élysée Palace. In total, around thirty participants are expected to be involved, some via video conference, coming from Europe but also from the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.
The meeting is reminiscent of the format of the coalition of volunteers in support of Ukraine. However, the United States is not participating in this initiative, as Paris aims to gather only countries not directly involved in the conflict.
What is the concrete objective?
The idea, promoted by France since March 9, is to establish an international mission to secure the strait. It would be “strictly defensive” and would intervene once the ceasefire is consolidated.
The main goal is to ensure freedom of navigation, reassure maritime companies, and support potential demining operations. Volunteer countries could contribute according to their means, whether through ships, planes, or surveillance capabilities.
What are the conditions for this mission to come to fruition?
Several prerequisites are set. Firstly, a lasting cessation of hostilities between Iran, the United States, and their allies. “For now, we have an informal ceasefire and its durability is not established,” said the Élysée.
Next, concrete guarantees: Tehran should not target commercial ships, and Washington should not block maritime flows. Paris also insists on two red lines: no mining in the strait and no “toll” imposed on ships, an option considered by Iran. The stated goal is to return to the pre-war status quo.
Why are the United States absent?
France and the UK defend a different approach from Washington’s. They refuse to integrate a coalition with a country directly involved in the conflict, in order to maintain a neutral position. The Élysée mentions the need for a “third way” between the maximum pressure exerted by the US on Iran and a resumption of hostilities.
“We will certainly do this in good intelligence with the Americans, but we will not enter into a coalition with the Americans simply because we are not parties to the conflict,” said the Élysé. This stance is not unanimous: Germany, for example, would have preferred American participation.
What will happen after this conference?
The Paris meeting is intended to lay the political and operational foundations of the mission. It will be followed by a new summit next week in Northwood, near London, the headquarters of a British military headquarters. Until then, everything will depend on the evolution of the ceasefire and the potential resumption of discussions between Washington and Tehran. Without lasting stabilization, the security mission could remain a project.
