“Our objective is to maintain a strictly defensive posture, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation,” Macron said in Cyprus, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
***
Speaking later to troops aboard the Charles de Gaulle, the president said France would also work to preserve freedom of navigation and potentially restore movement in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are not participating in an ongoing conflict, and we are operating within this framework. Your presence here today demonstrates France’s strength, that of a power for balance and peace alongside its friends,” he said.
