In the wake of the US blockade on Iranian ports, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called for freedom of navigation in international waters to be respected. He spoke to RFI about France's proposal for a peaceful, multinational mission to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the necessity of a ceasefire in Lebanon, as well as developments in Hungary and Sudan.
RFI: After 45 days of conflict in the Middle East, the United States yesterday imposed a blockade on Iran’s ports. President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy any Iranian fast attack vessel that tries to break the blockade. Iran has called this an illegal act of piracy. What is France’s position on this blockade?
Jean-Noël Barrot: France’s position is that the free movement of ships in international waters is a common good of humanity, and it must be respected everywhere and at all times. It is therefore urgent that this blockade be lifted. I believe this issue was in fact at the heart of the talks between the United States and Iran held in Pakistan over the weekend.
RFI: But those talks failed, the negotiations produced no results. And now we have this blockade. Are you worried about a military escalation?
JNB: What concerns me, of course, is that this blockade – or the obstruction of this strait – will continue to have very negative consequences for the global economy, but also for our purchasing power and for businesses, which we obviously want to avoid.
That is why, both diplomatically and operationally, we have launched a number of initiatives at the President of the Republic’s instigation to provide answers. On the diplomatic front, by urging the parties to restore freedom of navigation in the strait. And operationally, by bringing together a large number of countries to prepare a peaceful, strictly defensive international mission, aimed at facilitating the passage of ships once calm has returned.
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RFI: How would you describe this latest initiative by the American president to impose a blockade in the region?
JNB: As I said, there can be no blockade in international waters. International waters must remain navigable everywhere and at all times – that is a principle of international and maritime law, which must be respected.
RFI: Could this approach nevertheless prove effective, given that it clearly acts as leverage in negotiations – leverage the US is using in its discussions with Iran?
JNB: And conversely, just a few days ago, Iran was in the opposite position. We must not allow the global economy to be held hostage by this conflict – a conflict to which France and Europe are not parties, which they have not endorsed and in which they are not engaged. We therefore should not have to bear the consequences. The fundamental principles of the law of the sea – maritime security and freedom of navigation – must be upheld.
RFI: The president of the Republic has announced, along with the United Kingdom, a conference of countries willing to contribute to a peaceful multinational mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. When will this conference take place?
JNB: In the coming days. [Editor's note: the conference will be held on Friday.]
RFI: Are countries other than the UK ready to join?
JNB: Of course. Several dozen countries have already taken part in preparatory work, led in particular by chiefs of staff, to define what such a mission would look like – drawing on previous examples, such as the European mission in the Red Sea, Aspides, that we took part in. Over the past two years, it has helped facilitate the passage of 1,600 vessels along a heavily used route threatened by attacks from the Houthi terrorist group.
RFI: Besides the UK, can you name any other countries at this stage?
JNB: Details will be presented when the conference takes place. What I can confirm is the strong interest from many countries in taking part, provided the mission is peaceful, strictly defensive, and that any escort system is coordinated with the littoral states of the strait – particularly Oman and Iran.
RFI: What will the mission actually look like? Will France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is not far away, be redeployed?
JNB: In practical terms, political, diplomatic and military planning will identify the needs and the resources required to meet them. The objective is very simple – to reduce risk. Even if the strait were open today, traffic would still need to be smoothed in an area that has seen very high tensions.
Transporting oil is a complex operation – it requires the agreement of shipping operators, the ability to secure insurance. All of this relies on a degree of confidence and reassurance, and that is precisely the purpose of this conference.
RFI: When could this mission actually be deployed? Do you have a timetable in mind?
JNB: We shouldn't be too definitive. The aim is for navigation to resume as quickly as possible and for the necessary deployments to take place so that normal flow can be restored.
RFI: Will the mission be under a UN mandate?
JNB: The United Nations and its Charter already provide – or at least constitute – a sufficient legal basis to ensure freedom of navigation.
RFI: So there is no need to go through the UN Security Council?
JNB: No, because for a peaceful, strictly defensive mission, coordinated with the littoral states whose territorial waters adjoin the international waters we are concerned with, all of this is covered by international law.
RFI: So France and others could proceed without formal UN approval?
JNB: But, in full compliance with international law.
RFI: Can France and the UK act in the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the US?
JNB: This is in no way about participating – directly or indirectly – in the conflict between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other.
RFI: But they are there. So can you act without them?
JNB: Coordination must take place, first and foremost with the littoral states. I don't believe the United States intends to be stationed in the Persian Gulf.
RFI: Yet there is this blockade.
JNB: Yes, but the mission we are discussing could only be deployed once calm has returned and hostilities have ceased.
RFI: From France’s point of view, what remains of the Iranian regime after 39 days of US and Israeli strikes?
JNB: There are still interlocutors with whom the United States has entered into negotiations – negotiations we support, provided they lead to the political solution we are calling for. That would require major concessions from the regime and a radical change in posture, enabling Iran to live peacefully in its region and allowing the Iranian people to regain control over their own destiny.
RFI: Do you see a weakening of the Iranian regime?
JNB: No one comes out of this war any stronger. And the main victims are the civilian populations in Iran and across the Middle East.
RFI: Put another way – does France want the regime to fall?
JNB: France notes that only a radical change in posture, and major concessions by the regime, can bring peace and stability to Iran and the region.
RFI: Are you still in contact with the Iranian authorities?
JNB: I've had frequent contact with my Iranian counterpart since the start of the war, in order to facilitate and speed up the release and return to France of our two nationals, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris.
RFI: The ceasefire is due to expire on 22 April. What do you hope will happen between now and then?
JNB: That the threats posed by Iran’s long-standing policies are addressed – its nuclear programme, its ballistic missile programme, its support for destabilising groups in the region, as well as freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. And, as I said, the fundamental and inalienable right of the Iranian people to shape their own future.
RFI: The ceasefire in Iran does not apply to Lebanon. Lebanon and Israel are about to begin direct talks to end the ongoing war. What does France expect from those discussions?
JNB: First, the ceasefire must absolutely extend to Lebanon, which cannot in any way become the scapegoat for an Israeli government frustrated by a ceasefire with Iran that it did not choose.
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RFI: Does France condemn the Israeli strikes on Lebanon since 2 March?
JNB: We have been very clear since the beginning of the war. We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself in accordance with international law. But we have condemned in the strongest terms the strikes that led to bloodshed in Lebanon last week, with more than 300 deaths in devastating operations – on top of the 1,500 deaths caused by Israeli reprisals since the war began.
These attacks are all the more intolerable because they undermine the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and, above all, strengthen Hezbollah. Destroying Lebanon and targeting the Lebanese state does not weaken Hezbollah – quite the opposite, it strengthens it.
RFI: So for you, the main objective of the talks is a ceasefire?
JNB: A ceasefire, the continued disarmament of Hezbollah, and a resolution of the dispute between Lebanon and Israel that has lasted for decades.
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RFI: A word on Hungary since Viktor Orbán’s defeat... What does France expect from his successor Péter Magyar?
JNB: It is a defeat for Viktor Orbán – and also for some of his supporters in what I would call international reactionary [regimes], foremost among them Vladimir Putin, who loses his Trojan horse within the European Union.
RFI: And Trump as well. US Vice-President JD Vance visited Budapest a few days before the vote...
JNB: Indeed, there were attempts to influence the outcome of the vote. The Hungarian people have taught a masterclass to all those who sought to dictate their history and destiny on their behalf.
What we expect is simply that the new Hungarian leaders do what they have said they would do – rebuild key pillars of the rule of law that Viktor Orbán dismantled, restore Hungary’s place within the European family, and lift a number of unjustified vetoes.
RFI: For example, the veto of the €90 billion loan for Ukraine…
JNB: Which was hampering Europe’s ability to support Ukraine in resisting Russian aggression. In short – to do what they promised.
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RFI: Would you say the EU will function better without Orbán?
JNB: The EU faces many challenges – Orbán was not the only one.
RFI: But he was a thorn in its side.
JNB: When it comes to support for Ukraine, his policy was indeed an obstacle. So it's welcome that this can now be removed.
RFI: Finally, Sudan is entering its fourth year of war in what is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The death toll was three times higher in 2025 than in 2024. What can France do?
JNB: First, we must not succumb to indifference.
RFI: Isn’t that already the case?
JNB: No, absolutely not. But we must continue to cultivate our capacity for outrage in the face of situations that are utterly unacceptable – 13 million displaced people, 34 million in need of humanitarian aid. France was the first to organise a conference in Paris one year after the war began. I will attend a third such conference in Berlin tomorrow.
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RFI: What is the purpose of these conferences?
JNB: First, to secure the funding needed to support NGOs and UN agencies. And secondly, to send political messages calling on the warring parties to lay down their arms and commit to a necessary truce, paving the way for a political solution – a solution that can only be carried by Sudanese civil society, [representatives of] which I will meet with shortly at the Quai d’Orsay to discuss how it can build its future in a democratic and peaceful way.
RFI: You mean all the parties – including the RSF paramilitaries?
JNB: All the armed parties on both sides. My first visit to Africa was devoted to Sudan, and I will travel to Adré on the Chad border to deliver these messages.
This interview was adapted from the original version in French and has been lightly edited for clarity.
