Macron says Charles de Gaulle carrier can deploy to Strait of Hormuz within days of US-Iran deal confirmation
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, said the nuclear-powered carrier Charles de Gaulle could be dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz within two or three days once the US-Iran framework agreement is confirmed.
Carrier on standby
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escort group can be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as two or three days after confirmation of the accord between Washington and Tehran, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday. In an interview with TF1 just before the G7 summit in Evian, Macron said the mission has been planned jointly with the United Kingdom.
We have built with the British a mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and the Charles de Gaulle, with everything that surrounds it and which remains in the area, can be deployed in the two or three days following confirmation of the accord.
Macron underlined France's readiness to act immediately. "We are ready to act very, very quickly," he added, according to stern.de. The president said France would do everything to make the announced framework agreement with Iran a reality.
Toll-free passage demand
Macron insisted the Strait of Hormuz must remain free of transit charges. He accused Iran of "playing with words" by referring to "service fees" rather than tolls. "There must be no fees to enrich oneself," he stressed, repeating that France defends international law and will act to ensure no such costs are imposed on shipping.
We defend international law and will do everything so that there are no toll fees.
Nuclear oversight
Beyond the waterway, Macron called for the enriched uranium currently in Iran to be rendered harmless under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "It needs control so that the Iranians do not enrich uranium again and use it for weapons," he said, according to stern.de.
Trade friction with Washington
The interview also touched on a parallel dispute with the United States. Before arriving at the G7, Donald Trump had threatened 100 percent tariffs on French wine if Paris did not scrap its digital services tax. Macron pushed back, telling TF1 that the tax is a European decision already enacted by several countries. "This digital tax, the Europeans decided it, several countries have implemented it, it's part of our law. It's not the United States that decides for the law of Europeans, nor of the French," he said. Macron called for stability in trade relations, noting that tariffs harm everyone, especially among G7 members.
