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Hormuz, Oman, and France
Oman joined UK and France in calling for secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with a joint statement saying the leaders confirmed that Oman will cooperate with the UK and France to protect its territorial waters.
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The statement, published by Downing Street, said, "Restoring safe transit for ships of all nations through the Strait is a matter of global concern," and it pledged readiness to activate the Multinational Military Mission if required.
In France, Le Figaro framed the Strait of Hormuz as central to Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s first visit to France since 1989, describing Paris as having rediscovered the mediation capacity of a sultanate amid the crisis between Iran and the United States.
Le Figaro also said the Sultan is expected this Sunday for an official visit to France and will have to clarify to Emmanuel Macron his country’s position, a key player in the crisis between Iran and the United States.
France 24 reported that Emmanuel Macron and Haitham bin Tariq urged for 'free navigation, with no conditions or restrictions' in the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to carry out 'joint mine-clearing operations' there.
Mine-clearing and navigation
A joint statement issued at the conclusion of talks between Haitham bin Tariq and Emmanuel Macron reiterated their commitment to freedom of navigation without conditions or restrictions, including the right of passage in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Sky News Arabia reported that Macron wrote on the X platform after meeting the Omani sultan at the Élysée Palace: 'We decided to cooperate, in coordination with our partners, to remove mines from the Strait in order to secure sea routes and guarantee free passage without conditions, through the Strait of Hormouz.'
France 24 linked the cooperation to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, paralyzed since February 28, during the first Israeli-American strikes on Iran, and it said the Iranian regime intends to levy passage rights on ships.
France 24 said the United States rejects those 'royalty' charges, describing the Strait of Hormuz as an 'international waterway' and insisting the strait is 'not Iranian territory.'
In response to the French president’s statements, Sky News Arabia reported that Tehran rejected them, deeming that 'the mines will be removed only by Iran, in accordance with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,' with the United States.
Military posture and stakes
France and Britain announced their readiness to deploy a multinational force to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the joint statement said Oman has agreed to guarantee the safety of its territorial waters for navigation.
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In press remarks, Macron said France would keep its mine-clearing capabilities deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, in parallel with the redeployment of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the port of Toulon, and he said the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has returned to the port of Toulon.
Médiaterranée reported that Paris ordered the carrier group, also designated Task Force 473, to deploy in the Gulf of Aden, and it said the naval force lines up assets including roughly 20 Rafale Marine fighters and three escort frigates.
Médiaterranée also quoted Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warning that Tehran would deliver a "firm and immediate" response to any extraregional deployment of destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz.
Courrier international described 24 hours of chaos around the Strait of Hormuz, saying that "Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state," announced the IRGC's Central Command, while the BBC reported that a tanker said it had come under fire from two fast-attack boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
