France remains confident in its efforts to contribute to the security of the Strait of Hormuz, including demining, despite hostile Iranian comments, officials have told The National.
“We’ve taken note of Iran’s declarations on the offer we have with the UK and other partners for a multinational mission,” French Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Glenn Salic said on Thursday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday about the situation in the strait, two days after Oman's Sultan Haitham visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, before travelling to London to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Oman and France published a joint statement saying they would collaborate with all stakeholders in demining the strait and support freedom of navigation. Iran has pushed to take over the management of the strait in exchange for payment for services, though their nature remains unclear.
For months, Paris and London have been setting up a defensive patrolling mission with about 30 countries to be deployed at a later stage. This will depend on security and political conditions, Mr Salic told The National. Asked whether the mission could be sent to Omani waters, he said discussions with partners in the region were ongoing.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Monday described France's offer to demine the waterway as provocative. “Demining is carried out solely by Iran and by no other country, and we fundamentally do not permit any such thing,” Mr Gharibabadi said. “The situation is sensitive and complex. We strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations.”
No power struggle
Traffic in the strait is picking up slowly after Iran and the US signed an agreement last month. The International Maritime Organisation last week estimated there were 80 mines in the strait.
Guillaume Vernet, Chief of Defence Staff spokesman, told The National that France was “not engaging in a power struggle” with Iran.
He said it was offering its services within the framework of international law and once the threat level was reduced. “This offer of service can be accepted by one of the coastal states, in which case … the French armed forces are ready to carry out demining operations, for which we have considerable expertise,” Mr Vernet added.
US President Donald Trump has given a lukewarm yet positive response to the French-British offer. At the G7 Summit in France last month, Mr Trump said: “I don't think we're going to need much help” because the strait is “going to be open”. Addressing Mr Macron, he added: “But I don't think it's a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You'd be a great country to do it.”
Several European countries, including Germany, have positioned demining ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Three French tripartite minehunters, along with a team of clearance divers with autonomous mine-clearing capabilities, arrived in the area six weeks ago, Mr Vernet said. “We were the first on the ground. They are offshore, ready to act,” he added, but declined to give their location for security reasons.
French forces have also been deployed in the neighbouring Red Sea alongside those from other European nations including Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Greece, to counter drone threats launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. From January to March, the Alsace frigate destroyed five Samad drones and three missiles, its former commander Captain Jerome Henry said on Thursday.
The Houthis launched Samad drones flying at sea level to hit the first ship they come across, CPT Henry said. But such attacks have decreased since the Alsace's departure, he added, with the Houthis turning towards direct attacks on Israel. The Houthis, an anti-Israel armed group, began attacking ships in the Red Sea at the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
