French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday hosted a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. Macron welcomed Iran's announcement that the waterway would be reopened to commercial shipping for the rest of the ceasefire, but called for the strait's "unconditional" reopening.
Issued on: 17/04/2026 - 03:31Modified: 17/04/2026 - 16:42
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday chaired a meeting of allies to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends.
Iran imposed the blockade on the critical shipping bottleneck as soon as the US and Israel launched the war against the Islamic Republic on February 28, leading to a surge in global energy prices. Even with a shaky ceasefire in place, the US is now imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.
Read moreUS blockade of the Strait of Hormuz: What do the numbers show?
European leaders are now worried that if the blockade continues, consumers will feel the effects through higher inflation, food shortages and flight cancellations as jet fuel runs out.
Speaking in a press conference following the call, Macron welcomed the announcement by Iran earlier Friday that it was allowing the critical Strait of Hormuz to re-open for as long as a ceasefire remains in place, with Macron saying it "goes in the right direction".
Macron also said a meeting will be held in London next week to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.
"We all call for the immediate, unconditional, and full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties. We call for the restoration of the conditions of free passage that were in effect before the war and full respect for the law of the sea," he said.
"We all oppose any restrictions or system of agreements that would, in effect, amount to an attempt to privatise the strait – and, of course, any toll system," he added.
The meeting also saw the leaders "prepare the deployment, when conditions are met, of a strictly defensive multinational military mission, in order to ensure freedom of navigation", according to the invitation sent by the Élysée.
Officials have emphasised that such a force would only be deployed when the war came to an end. Macron and Starmer have also led efforts to create a European force to support Ukraine, which again would only be deployed when the war against Russia ends.
Starmer said that a dozen countries were ready to contribute assets to a defensive mission aimed at restoring the freedom of navigation of the Strait of Hormuz.
'Major consequences'
The meeting, which gathered some 30 leaders of European countries but also Asian and Middle Eastern nations mainly by video conference, is also a chance for Europe to display its capacities after having largely been sidelined by the US in diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Key EU players German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the summit in person.
"The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has major consequences for the global economy, and therefore for the daily lives of French citizens and French businesses," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday.
Downing Street said planning is already under way for a "combined military effort as soon as conditions allow". Military chiefs are due to meet next week for further discussions at the UK's military command headquarters in Northwood outside London, it added.
According to the French presidency, the meeting also addressed concerns over the more than 20,000 seafarers aboard the hundreds of ships which have been trapped by the blockade.
"What we want to do is build a credible proposal which is essentially a third way between the maximum pressure previously practiced by the United States on Iran and the resumption of war," said the French presidential official.
Merz, whose country was initially reluctant to be involved in any mission for Ukraine, said Berlin was "willing in principle to take part" but cautioned that "we are still very far from that".
He also added the leaders would discuss the involvement of the United States. But the French presidential official said Washington – as a belligerent power in the conflict – should not be involved in this mission.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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