France has rejected reports that it is deploying an aircraft carrier strike group to the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allied nations to send warships to help secure the strategic waterway.
The official response of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in a statement on Saturday, March 14, said reports claiming that France was preparing to dispatch a naval force to the region were inaccurate.
“The aircraft carrier strike group remains in the Eastern Mediterranean,” French officials said.
It added that France’s military posture has not changed and remains defensive.
“France’s posture is unchanged: Defensive Protective Stop the scaremongering,” the official response stated.
France denies sending carrier strike group to Strait of Hormuz
The statement comes amid claims circulating online that France was preparing to send 10 warships toward the Strait of Hormuz in response to a request from Washington.
French officials clarified that no aircraft carrier group is heading to the Gulf and that the current naval deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean remains unchanged.
“No French aircraft carrier and its group staying the eastern Mediterranean. Posture has not changed: defensive it is.”
The clarification came after President Donald Trump called on allies including the United Kingdom to deploy warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate following the recent conflict with Iran.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump urged multiple countries to assist the United States in safeguarding the strategic shipping corridor, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and serves as a critical route for global energy supplies.
The strait carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, with about 20 million barrels passing through the waterway daily last year.
“Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump wrote.
He added: “We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.”
Also Read: Trump Says Countries Affected by Hormuz Closure Will Send Warships Soon
Trump further called on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom to deploy vessels to the area.
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,” he said.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE.”
Iran rejected Trump’s claims that its military capability had been destroyed, describing the assertion as “fabricated lies”.
A spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence said the government was in discussions with allies about potential responses.
“As we’ve said previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region,” the spokesperson said.
Also Read: UAE Air Defences Intercept 9 Ballistic Missiles and 33 Drones Launched from Iran
Trump’s call for allied support contrasts with comments he made last week on the same platform criticising UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer after Britain declined to participate in the initial strikes on Iran.
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote at the time. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
The UK did not join the initial strikes on Iran, which killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Starmer defended the decision not to take part in the military action.
“President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” he told Members of Parliament this week.
France to deploys naval force
Earlier in the week, France had announced a major naval deployment to safeguard shipping routes in the region.
President Emmanuel Macron said France would send a significant naval force to the Middle East to help protect merchant vessels amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
The deployment will include 10 ships positioned across key maritime corridors including the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
According to Macron, the French Navy already has two warships stationed in the eastern Mediterranean. The additional deployment will include eight frigates and two helicopter carriers, making it one of the largest French naval mobilisations in recent years.
Macron said the mission would focus on escorting and supporting merchant shipping and that France was also working with European and Asian partners to contribute additional vessels.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Cyprus before Macron boarded the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which recently repositioned from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean and is believed to be operating off Crete.
Macron suggested the active phase of hostilities between the United States and Iran could continue for days or weeks.
