Macron Warns Against Iran Charging Hormuz Transit Fees, Urges Strait's Reopening
"We defend international law and we will do everything in our power to ensure there is no toll," Macron told TF1 television ahead of the G7 summit in France, which is expected to be attended by US President Donald Trump.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned against any Iranian move to impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that international law must prevail and that "everything" should be done to prevent fees from being charged in one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors.
His remarks came after Iran's Fars news agency reported that Tehran had inserted a clause into its framework agreement with the United States that would allow it to impose maritime service fees on ships using the Strait, a key global energy route.
"We defend international law and we will do everything in our power to ensure there is no toll," Macron told TF1 television ahead of the G7 summit in France, which is expected to be attended by US President Donald Trump.
While the full details of the US-Iran agreement ending the recent Middle East conflict have not been made public, Macron said the accord had already been signed "electronically" and that additional annexes would be finalized on Friday.
"I don't want to enter into the details," he said.
Macron also revealed that a joint French-British mission was ready to deploy rapidly to help secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He said the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle could be in the region within "two to three days."
"We do everything so that this accord is a reality and that Hormuz can reopen," Macron said, noting that European countries were eager for the waterway to resume normal operations to help reduce energy prices and ease pressure on global supply chains.
The French president rejected suggestions that the agreement represented a victory for Tehran.
"I would be patient and prudent," he said, adding that France had not taken part in the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
"So our objective now is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And indeed, there shouldn't be any tolls or anything that would enrich those in power," Macron stated.
Macron also emphasized that Iran's remaining stockpiles of enriched uranium should be neutralized and placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We will ensure that the enriched uranium capabilities that remain are properly neutralized," he said, explaining that the material should be "either taken out, or diluted" before being monitored by the UN nuclear watchdog.