The US is not part of France and Britain-led post-war Hormuz maritime force negotiations are underway, but Europe’s role is limited.
Published on 17 April 2026
France and the United Kingdom are calling on dozens of countries to advance plans for a multinational maritime force to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but Washington is not part of the discussion.
The meeting, being held at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Friday, will be chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with about 30 to 40 countries participating in person or via video conference.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni are also attending in person, but the full list of attendees has not been disclosed.
The talks will focus on what is formally named the Strait of Hormuz Freedom of Navigation Initiative, a defensive mission to restore free passage through the waterway after a permanent ceasefire is implemented in the US-Israeli war over Iran.
The strait has been closed since Iran imposed a blockade on February 28 after the US and Israel launched the war. A fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through chokepoints. The US has since escalated the disruption by imposing its own blockade on Iranian ports.
European leaders warned that the ongoing shutdown put consumers at risk of higher inflation, food shortages and flight cancellations as jet fuel supplies dwindle. More than 20,000 sailors were stranded on hundreds of ships stuck in the blockade.
‘Strictly defensive’
“An unconditional and urgent reopening of the Strait is a global responsibility, and we need to act to get global energy and trade flowing freely again,” Starmer said in remarks before the meeting. He accused Iran of “holding the world economy hostage.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the economic consequences of the blockade as “major” for French citizens and businesses.
This initiative reflected Europe’s earlier efforts to assemble a security force for Ukraine, and carried similar conditions: deployment only when the conflict ends and security conditions permit.
Speaking to the AFP news agency, a French presidential official said the allies would need “an Iranian commitment not to fire on passing ships and a US commitment not to intercept any ships sailing through or entering the Strait of Hormuz” before any mission could go ahead.
Washington’s absence from the table was deliberate. Macron said the mission to provide security for shipping through the strait would be “strictly defensive” and limited to non-belligerent countries.
The operation was partly a response to Trump, who had berated European allies for failing to get involved in the war, called NATO members “cowards”, and told Britain: “You don’t even have a navy.”
The US blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation to Trump has further aggravated the economic crisis.
Military planning is already underway. Britain has discussed deploying mine-hunting drones from the ship RFA Lyme Bay, while France has sent its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as well as a helicopter carrier and several frigates to the region. French military spokesman Colonel Guillaume Vernet cautioned that the mission was “under construction”.
