The French president rejected US President Trump's calls for immediate action to reopen the key oil route, but said an international escort mission could be considered once fighting subsides.
French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out any immediate military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but France could help escort ships through the waterway once the situation has become "calmer".
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Speaking at the start of a defence council meeting in Paris on Tuesday, Macron said it was out of the question for France to take part in “operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz” under current conditions, citing ongoing fighting in the region.
The narrow passage through which some 20% of the world’s oil supply travels has been disrupted by Iran following strikes launched by the US and Israel on 28 February.
“We are not party to the conflict,” Macron insisted, effectively rejecting calls from US President Donald Trump for greater international involvement.
However, the French leader left the door open to a possible role at a later stage, once the situation stabilises.
France would be ready, “once the situation is calmer, that is to say once the heart of the bombardments has ceased”, to join an international effort to secure maritime traffic, he said.
“We are ready, with other nations, to take responsibility for an escort system,” Macron added, referring to the possibility of protecting commercial vessels navigating the strait.
Macron convened a fresh defence and national security council meeting on Tuesday afternoon to assess developments in Iran and the wider region, the Élysée said.
Opening the meeting, the French president reiterated that France’s role remains strictly defensive.
“France did not choose this war. We are not taking part in it. We have a purely defensive position. Our objectives are clear: to protect our nationals, our diplomatic and military sites, and our interests in the region,” he said.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has raised alarm among global energy markets and shipping companies, as disruptions to the route threaten oil supplies worldwide.
The White House said oil tankers were beginning to pass through the strait again, albeit “in a trickle".