France Hormuz

France’s aircraft carrier strike group is moving south of the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. French President Emmanuel Macron says this is in preparation for a potential French-British mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The deployment brings Europe’s most powerful warship closer to the strait, which has been effectively closed due to the war in Iran. This has stranded hundreds of ships and caused a major disruption in the global oil market. Macron says the mission aims to restore maritime security and confidence among shipowners and insurers. The effort is distinct from the U.S. “Project Freedom” that launched and then paused this week.

The U.S. military says that it intercepted Iranian attacks on three U.S. Navy ships as they transited the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.” The exchange on Thursday highlights the fragility of the month-old ceasefire between the two countries. U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defense strikes. The U.S. military says no ships were hit. It says it doesn’t seek escalation but “remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”