France is deploying a ten-ship naval strike group to the Mediterranean and Red Sea to defend European allies and prepare for the eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing regional conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a significant expansion of France’s naval presence in the Middle East on Monday, March 9, 2026, deploying ten vessels including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and two amphibious helicopter carriers to secure strategic waterways amid an escalating regional war. During a visit to Cyprus, which was recently targeted by drone strikes, Macron reaffirmed that “when Cyprus is attacked, then Europe is attacked,” signaling a “strictly defensive” shift to protect EU members and global energy interests as oil prices surged past $115 per barrel.
The mission, bolstered by eight frigates and two additional ships dedicated to the EU’s Operation Aspides, aims to eventually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where nearly 20% of the world’s oil flow has halted. Macron emphasized that the objective is to “contribute to regional de-escalation” and “enable, as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict has ended, the escort of container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
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