French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States and Iran today to de-escalate tensions, following the escalation of tensions over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Our position remains the same. We must resolve the issues through diplomacy. Everyone must calm down," Macron said at a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The US continues its naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran temporarily opened and then closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.
Commenting on the “warning shots” fired at a CMA CGM container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, Macron said he did not believe it was an attack specifically directed against France. French shipping company CMA CGM said the ship’s crew was safe.
Commercial ships are still avoiding the Strait of Hormuz today, following an escalation of tensions over the weekend when Iran apparently fired gunfire at two ships and the US military seized an Iranian tanker.
Only one ship left the Gulf through Hormuz and two more entered within a 12-hour period, according to ship tracking data in the region. Under normal conditions, about 130 ships pass through each day.
The oil tanker Nero, which has been sanctioned by Britain over its ties to Russia, is sailing through the Strait, according to satellite analysis by the company SynMax and tracking data from the Kpler platform.
Two other ships, the chemical tanker Starway and the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker Axon I, which is subject to US sanctions due to its ties to Iran, have entered the Persian Gulf.
Since the beginning of the blockade against ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, US forces have ordered 27 ships to change course or return to an Iranian port, the US Central Command, CENTCOM, announced.
More than a dozen tankers have passed through the Strait since Iran briefly opened it on Friday. But the ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be hanging in the balance today, with Tehran vowing revenge for the seizure of its ship and refusing to join new peace talks.
