Seyma Erkul Dayanc
04 May 2026•Update: 04 May 2026
France’s president said Monday that Europe is building “its own security solutions” and will not take part in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under what he called an “unclear framework,” instead reiterating calls for a negotiated reopening.
“Europeans are building our security solutions … Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing defense and security spending and building common solutions,” Emmanuel Macron said at the 8th Meeting of the European Political Community in Yerevan, Armenia, which starts today.
He said European security policy has been shaped since 2022 through initiatives such as the European Political Community, support for Ukraine via the Coalition of the Willing countries, and an ad hoc effort related to the Strait of Hormuz.
He said France supports reopening the strait but stressed it would not participate in any force-based operations outside a clear framework.
“If the United States is ready to reopen Hormuz, that is very good. That is what we have been asking for from the beginning,” he said.
Macron added that France favors a coordinated reopening between Iran and the United States as the only sustainable solution to ensure free navigation “without restrictions and without tolls.”
He also underlined the importance of respecting the ceasefire in Lebanon, saying further casualties had been reported and urging all parties to uphold their commitments.
Tensions in the region have surged since Feb. 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran on Israeli targets and US allies in the Gulf.
Since April 13, Washington has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
A two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by talks in Islamabad on April 11, but negotiations failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Trump later extended the truce at Pakistan’s request, without announcing a new deadline.
