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French President Macron calls PM Modi ahead of France-UK meet on Strait of Hormuz
Macron and Modi discuss restoring navigation in Strait of Hormuz ahead of France-UK meet amid rising West Asia tensions
French President Emmanuel Macron dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, ahead of a conference to be hosted by Britain and France on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and discussed the situation in West Asia.
Modi said on social media that he received a phone call from Macron and they had “agreed on the need to urgently restore safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
“We will continue our close cooperation to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he added, without giving details. There was no official readout from the Indian side on the conversation, which came two days after US President Donald Trump called Modi to discuss the West Asia crisis.
Macron had spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and Trump on Monday and urged the resumption of negotiations to clear up misunderstandings and avoid further escalation.
On the same day, Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced their countries will host a virtual conference in Paris on April 17 to discuss the restoration of freedom of navigation in the crucial waterway.
Iran closed the strait soon after military strikes by Israel and the US triggered the West Asia conflict on February 28. Trump ordered a blockade of Iranian ports after the first direct talks between Iranian and American officials in Islamabad last weekend ended without any result.
Macron said this week that the Strait of Hormuz should be “reopened unconditionally, without restrictions or tolls, as soon as possible”. He said the conference in Paris on Friday will bring together “non-belligerent countries ready to contribute, alongside [Britain and France], to a multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait when security conditions allow”.
Several NATO member states, including Britain and France, have said they will not be drawn into the West Asia conflict by participating in Trump’s blockade.
A British government spokesperson said the conference in Paris is expected to “advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping once the conflict ends”.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri represented India at a virtual meeting chaired by British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper on April 2 to discuss the reopening of the strait.
