Explore Business Standard
Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said his country is ready to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but only as part of a mission separate from the current Middle East war. "We are not a party to the conflict, and therefore France will never take part in operations to reopen or liberate the Strait of Hormuz," Macron said, responding to US President Donald Trump's call for European nations to send warships to the Persian Gulf. Speaking ahead of a security meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, he stressed any mission would require "discussions and de-escalation with Iran" and must be "entirely separate from the ongoing military operations and bombings".
France's government is bolstering the country's military presence in the Middle East, dispatching its aircraft carrier and other warships, while President Emmanuel Macron engages with key players in the conflict, including Iran, in a bid to position Paris for future diplomatic talks. Macron said that France's military involvement is strictly "defensive" and aims to avoid making the country a party to the war. He reaffirmed that position after one French soldier was killed Thursday in a drone attack in Iraq. "We are not at war with anyone," Macron said. Still, the large-scale deployment of the French navy - which he described as "unprecedented" - has made France the European nation with the most prominent presence in the region. Visiting the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier last week, Macron said that its presence in the Mediterranean demonstrates "France's strength: a balancing power, a force for peace." Here's what to know about Macron' strategy. France's large naval ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed shared concerns over the evolving situation in West Asia, and the need for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. After his telephonic conversation with Macron, Modi said they will continue to engage closely and coordinate efforts towards the early restoration of peace and stability in the region. "Spoke with my friend President Emmanuel Macron today. We discussed our shared concerns over the evolving situation in West Asia and the need for a return to dialogue and diplomacy. "We will continue to engage closely and coordinate efforts towards the early restoration of peace and stability in the region," Modi said in a post on X. The conflict in West Asia began after the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks targeting Israeli and American ..
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to move from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the ongoing war in the Middle East. Macron said the Charles de Gaulle will be escorted by its air wing, and its escorting frigates. In a pre-recorded speech on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems, and airborne radar systems have been deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East. "And we will continue this effort as much as necessary," Macron said. He cited Monday's strike on a British air force base on Cyprus, adding that Cyprus was a member of the European Union with which France has recently signed a strategic partnership. "This requires our support. That is why I have decided to send additional air-defense assets there as well, along with a French frigate, the Languedoc, which will arrive off the coast of Cyprus later this evening," Macron said.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France will increase its number of nuclear warheads from the current level of below 300, but did not give a figure for the increase. It will be the first time France increases its nuclear arsenal since at least 1992. "I have decided to increase the numbers of warheads of our arsenal," Macron said at a military base at L'Ile Longue in northwestern France that hosts the country's ballistic missile submarines. Macron's speech was aimed at spelling out how French nuclear weapons fit into Europe's security amid concerns raised on the continent by recurring tensions with US President Donald Trump.
Britain, France and Germany said they are ready to work with the US and partners to help stop Iran's retaliatory attacks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a joint statement Sunday that they are "appalled" by Iran's "reckless" strikes on their allies, which are threatening their service members and citizens in the region. "We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran's capability to fire missiles and drones at their source. We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter," the statement said. It did not provide further details.
