France and UK Ready to Secure Hormuz Provided Iran Agrees to US Proposal

Moscow (ANTARA) - A coalition led by France and the UK is ready to ensure maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz if Iran agrees to the United States’ proposal to end the conflict, the Élysée Palace in Paris stated on Wednesday (6/5). Citing several sources, Axios reported that the White House believes the US and Iran will soon sign a memorandum of understanding containing 14 points, which would serve as the initial stage of negotiations between the two parties. “We can offer Iran the ability to return to crossing the Strait of Hormuz. We can allow their tankers (Iran’s) to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, with one condition: Iran must agree to begin the substantive negotiations requested by the US,” said a French presidential adviser, as quoted by the newspaper Le Figaro. The adviser added that the deployment of France’s attacking carrier group, led by the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, is a signal that France is not only ready to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz but is also capable of doing so. Previously, the French Ministry of Defence announced that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is heading to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as part of the French-UK effort to organise a shipping security mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The recent escalation of tensions around Iran has caused a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is the main route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas from Persian Gulf countries to global markets, thereby driving up fuel prices.