War in the Middle East: Aircraft Carrier Charles-De

A precautionary deployment. The French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle and its escort have arrived “on station” off the Arabian Peninsula, where they are pre-positioned in the event of a “neutral” mission to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, announced the Minister Delegate to the Armed Forces, Alice Rufo, on Friday, May 15th. “It has passed through the Suez Canal, moved towards the Arabian Sea, and is on station, but not in the Strait of Hormuz”, she told the press.

This positioning aims to “provide the possibility of restoring freedom of maritime navigation in the strait, but in a manner that is not at all offensive, but entirely defensive and in accordance with international law”, she added. In a message on X, the Minister Delegate then stated that the aircraft carrier “is on station in the Red Sea, as part of a defensive mission in support of respect for maritime freedom and distancing from belligerents”.

The flagship of the French fleet passed through the Suez Canal on May 6th, before docking for several days in Djibouti, where France has a logistical point. Its presence in the Gulf region “gives us means to assess the situation and weigh in on the regional and global diplomatic equation,” explained the Minister Delegate. France and the United Kingdom, leading a maritime coalition of about forty non-belligerent countries, propose 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.