A French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is heading south of the Suez Canal into the Red Sea in preparation for a possible defensive mission aimed at restoring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically critical waterway that has been effectively blocked amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

The French Ministry of Armed Forces said Wednesday the carrier was en route to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world's traded oil transited before the war.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading a multinational mission to restore freedom of navigation in the strait, which they claim would be entirely defensive and deployed only after the war ends. Macron wrote on X: “It may help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers. It remains distinct from the parties at war.” He also said he intends to raise the matter with US President Donald Trump.

A French presidency official told AFP: “What we are proposing is that Iran gains passage for its ships through the strait and in return commits to negotiating with the Americans on nuclear materials, missiles, and the region, and we propose that the Americans, for their part, lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and, in return, obtain Iran’s commitment to negotiations.”

Tehran says it is reviewing a US proposal that Trump claims could end the war. Trump signaled progress Wednesday but threatened to resume bombing if Tehran does not accept the US plan. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran has yet to provide its response and that “the investigation into the exchanged texts is ongoing.” Reports suggest the two sides are close to agreeing on a memorandum that would include Iran halting uranium enrichment for at least 12 years and the US lifting sanctions and releasing frozen assets.

Source: www.aljazeera.com