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France to never participate in operations to reopen Strait of Hormuz — President Macron

Paris will not do this under any circumstances, Emmanuel Macron said

PARIS, March 17. /TASS/. France will not be participating in any operations to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

"Under no circumstances France will be taking part in operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz given the present-day conditions," Macron said during a meeting of the Defense and National Security Council.

On March 2, Major General Ebrahim Jabbari of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that the Strait of Hormuz, which handles approximately one-fifth of global oil exports, would be closed to shipping due to the Israeli and US military operation against the Islamic Republic.

On March 5, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the strait was not officially closed, but that tankers were avoiding the route for fear of strikes from both sides. However, on March 10, IRGC Naval Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels associated with the US and Israel.

Middle East developments

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February·28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.

The Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran later announced the election of Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the assassinated ayatollah, as the country’s new Supreme Leader.

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