UK and France to Convene International Meeting on the Strait of Hormuz – Why Now?

[The Financial News] French President Emmanuel Macron will soon hold an international meeting with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, where military tensions have risen following the United States of America (U.S.) plan for a naval blockade.
On the 13th, Macron wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "We will invite countries that are willing to join us in contributing to a multinational peace mission." He added, "This mission is strictly defensive, separate from the parties to the conflict, and will be deployed immediately as soon as conditions on the ground allow."
His message is being interpreted as a signal that he will not support the U.S. plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, announced after peace talks between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) collapsed on the 11th.
A UK government spokesperson also stressed the previous day, "We are working closely with France and other partners to build a broad coalition to protect freedom of navigation," distancing London from Washington's naval blockade plan.
France and the UK have rejected a U.S. request to send warships to help close the Strait of Hormuz and have instead led multinational discussions, saying they would contribute to the safety of navigation in the strait once the fighting stops.
On the 26th of last month, military chiefs from 35 countries held a virtual meeting chaired by the Chief of the Defence Staff (France). This was followed on the 2nd of this month by a video conference of foreign ministers from more than 40 countries, led by the UK, to explore ways to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. The Republic of Korea (South Korea) also took part in these meetings.
rsunjun@fnnews.com Yoo Sun-joon Reporter