Starmer and Macron accused of ‘playing at being relevant’ with Strait of Hormuz plan

Starmer and Macron are two chiefs of state partners in the European “Coalition of the Willing” in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War.(Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)

Macron and Starmer are expected to host a summit to advance what both governments describe as a “coordinated, independent, multinational plan” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the fighting ends.

“France and the United Kingdom will also host a conference in Paris this Friday, bringing together by video conference non-belligerent countries ready to contribute, alongside us, to a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions allow,” Macron wrote on X.

Starmer similarly described the effort as a “coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends,” saying Britain had already convened more than 40 nations around the initiative, Reuters reported.Washington was not part of those earlier talks.

The European senior official said the proposed force would be “strictly defensive” and would only deploy after active fighting and bombardment have ended, with the goal of restoring normal shipping rather than enforcing a wartime corridor.

“What we want in the end is no blockade, no toll, no nothing that blocks the fluidity of what is going through the Strait of Hormuz,“the first problem.”

The official also rejected suggestions that Paris and London are trying to sideline the Trump administration, saying the U.S.has been kept informed and that there is extensivecoordination with Washingtoneven if the emerging mission is currently limited to “non-belligerent” countries.

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Iran seized two foreign oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on Thursday, allegedly carrying 1 million liters of smuggled fuel.(Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)

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“We’re coordinating a lot with them,” the official said, adding that the goal is to create a framework that can operate once the conflict is over.

Macron has repeatedly emphasized that France’s envisioned mission would be “strictly defensive” and ruled out escorting ships while “bombings” are ongoing.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said “several dozen countries” already had participated in preparatory discussions led by military chiefs of staff, and that any future mission would also require coordination with Gulf coastal states, according to Reuters.

The Anglo-French initiative comes as Trump has taken a far more aggressive approach, ordering the U.S.Navy to blockade Iranian ports and continue operations aimed at securing the strategic waterway after ceasefire talks between the U.S.and Iran collapsed in Pakistan.

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Critics argue that without American military power, the European proposal risks being largely symbolic.

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A navy vessel is seen sailing in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which much of the world’s oil and gas passes on March 1, 2026.(Sahar Al Attar/AFP)

Britain and France are overstating what they can realistically achieve, The Henry Jackson Society analyst Barak Seener said. 

“Britain and France are playing at being relevant as so-called ‘Middle Powers’ in international affairs,�

“Keir Starmer’s assertion ‘We’re not getting dragged into the war’ disguises the embarrassing fact that the Royal Navy is facing a hollowed out crisis, causing the initiative to be ‘strictly defensive’,” he said.

“France’s navy is also facing structural and budgetary pressures that strain its ability to conduct high-tempo operations.”

“It is laughable that a European coalition of ‘non-belligerent’ countries that are only willing to engage once hostilities have ended can even speak of protecting its shipping lanes,” Seener added.

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TOPSHOT – France’s President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on February 17, 2025.European leaders were due to meet in Paris on February 17, 2025 to address Washington’s shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine, as Britain declared itself ready to dispatch peacekeeping troops to Ukraine.(Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)(Ludovic Marin/AFP)

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“Ultimately, the U.S.’s deployment of hard power, consisting of carrier strike groups and fighter aircraft to blockade Iranian ports and clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, can protect shipping lanes.”

The U.K.�s request for comment before publication.

Follow her on X @efratlachter.Stories can be sent toefrat.com.