President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned that an attack on Cyprus was an attack on all of Europe and said France and its allies were preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the Middle East war entered its second week.
Speaking during a visit to Cyprus to discuss regional security, Macron said the mission would be aimed at escorting container ships and tankers in order to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict".
“When Cyprus is attacked, Europe is attacked,” he said.
"We will not accept that the slightest piece of European territory, like Cyprus, be exposed to danger," added Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides Mitsotakis.
Macron visited Cyprus after the island nation and EU member was targeted by Iranian-made drones in early March.
The drone attack in Cyprus led to France's deployment of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defence units to the island.
Paris has insisted its actions in the region is "strictly defensive” and that a "purely support mission" will be put together by European and non-European states.
"This is essential for international trade, but also for the flow of gas and oil, which must be able to leave this region once again," said Macron in Paphos on the southwestern coast of Cyprus.
The European Union on Monday said it was ready to "enhance" its operations to protect maritime traffic in the Middle East.
The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader regional war.
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key Gulf waterway through which a fifth of global crude passes, has all but halted since the war broke out on February 28.
French President Macron to visit Cyprus as France deploys warships
In the afternoon, Macron headed for the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is now off the coast of Crete after being redirected to the eastern Mediterranean following the start of the conflict.
Once on board, Macron will speak with the sailors serving in the carrier strike group, the Elysee said.
France's flagship is at the heart of a French naval operation that will also mobilise eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers in a vast area including the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, he said.
A French frigate was already taking part in the EU's "Operation Aspides", which was launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.
Macron said that France would contribute "in the long term" with two frigates to Operation Aspides.
"What we want to do is to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security," he said.
Separately, Macron on Monday morning spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, the Elysee said.
(With newswires)
