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Multiple European countries are moving a fleet of naval vessels towards the Strait of Hormuz as ships in the region continue to be stranded due to a blockade imposed by the US and Iran.

Getting into it; The Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group transited the Suez Canal Wednesday en route to the southern Red Sea. The nuclear-powered carrier (the biggest warship France has ever built and widely considered the most capable one outside the US Navy’s fleet) has roughly 20 Rafale fighter jets onboard, with several frigates running escort, including Italian and Dutch warships. The French Armed Forces said the move was purely defensive and within international law, designed to position the carrier closer to the strait so it could respond more quickly if conditions allowed the European mission to launch.

France and the UK have been working for weeks on a multinational coalition that now includes 40 to 50 countries (assembled in part during a Macron-Starmer summit in Paris on April 17), with the goal of restoring maritime security through a defensive mission once conditions allow.

President Emmanuel Macron framed the deployment publicly on X, saying, “A return to calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations on nuclear issues, ballistic matters, and the regional situation. Europeans… will play their part.”

A senior French official briefing reporters said the deployment was meant to deliver a clear message. “We collectively want to send the signal that not only are we ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but that we are also capable of doing so.” The official added that the coalition won’t move until two conditions are met: the danger to commercial shipping has to drop, and the industry has to be confident enough to send vessels through the strait again.

This all comes as France is asking both the US and Iran to “deal with the issue of the Strait of Hormuz separately” from the rest of the conflict, with Iran getting passage for its ships through the strait in exchange for committing to negotiate with the Americans on nuclear, missile, and regional issues, and the US lifting its blockade in return.

Macron also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday and said he plans to raise the issue directly with Trump.