France To Deploy 10 Warships & Carrier Strike Group To Middle East, Plans Escorts For Shipping In Strait of Hormuz

France is deploying 10 additional warships and a carrier strike group to the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to affect regional security and global shipping routes.

The deployment includes eight frigates and two amphibious assault ships that will operate in the Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and possibly the Strait of Hormuz.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91) and its escort ships have reached the Eastern Mediterranean.

The carrier strike group had originally been operating near Sweden but was redirected after the March 1 drone attack on RAF Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus.

The carrier group includes the air defence destroyer FS Chevalier Paul (D621), a FREMM-class frigate, a fleet oiler for logistics support, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

The deployment is also supported by allied vessels, including the Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón (F105) and the Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805).

France has also sent the frigate FS Languedoc (D653) along with a French Army ground-based air defence unit to strengthen protection for Cyprus.

Speaking in Cyprus alongside President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Macron said that attacks against Cyprus affect Europe as a whole.

France’s deployment is part of a military buildup as tensions rise between Iran, the United States and Israel. Several countries have announced additional deployments in the region.

Greece has deployed F-16 fighter jets and two frigates, including its newest FDI-class frigate Kimon (F601).

The United Kingdom is sending the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon (D35) to strengthen air defence coverage in the Eastern Mediterranean.

British forces in Cyprus now include three Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters and a Merlin “Crowsnest” airborne surveillance aircraft.

Italy is also dispatching the guided-missile frigate ITS Federico Martinengo (F596) to provide air defence support.

Per reports, a ballistic missile fired from Iran toward Turkey was intercepted by NATO air defences in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Defence officials did not confirm the exact platform involved, but reports suggested a U.S. destroyer used a Standard Missile-3 interceptor.

Earlier, USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79) reportedly intercepted another Iranian missile headed toward Turkey using the same system.

France and several European partners are also preparing a defensive escort mission for commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.

Macron said the mission would begin after the most intense phase of the conflict ends and would involve cooperation between European and non-European countries.

The plan is to escort container ships and oil tankers transiting the strait to help restore normal shipping operations.

The French Navy plans to dedicate two frigates to the European Union’s Operation Aspides, which protects merchant vessels from attacks in the Red Sea and nearby waters.

Operation Aspides began in February 2024 and usually involves two to three European naval vessels operating at a time. France has been rotating ships through the mission, with the frigate FS Forbin (D620) currently assigned.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Navy has launched its own maritime security mission called Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr to escort Pakistani merchant vessels sailing through Middle East shipping lanes affected by the current crisis.

References: Reuters, USNI