French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday to coordinate their response to the escalating security crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States presses ahead with a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports and coastal waters, including in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the broader Indian Ocean, is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. Roughly a third of global seaborne oil passes through it, making the US blockade — imposed as part of its broader military campaign against Iran — a significant shock to international energy markets and supply chains.
The Franco-British summit comes as diplomatic traffic intensifies globally. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelled to Beijing on Tuesday, where China and Russia have jointly condemned the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran. China, which imports approximately a third of its oil from Iran and is Tehran's largest trading partner, has called the strait's unimpeded operation "a common interest of the international community." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun dismissed as "completely fabricated" a CNN report that Beijing was preparing to deliver air defence systems to Iran, amid US threats of additional 50 percent tariffs on Chinese goods if such assistance were provided.
The situation is further complicated by stalled diplomacy. US-Iran talks held in Pakistan at the weekend ended without a breakthrough, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who briefed Lavrov by telephone on Monday. Russia has said it stands ready to assist in reaching a settlement, with Lavrov stressing there is "no military solution" to the crisis.
Why this matters: Europe's two leading military powers coordinating on Hormuz security signals growing concern among Western allies about the conflict's consequences beyond the immediate region. With energy prices rising, global shipping disrupted, and major powers including China and Russia aligning against the blockade, the crisis is rapidly becoming a test of international order — and of how far US unilateral action can stretch before triggering a broader geopolitical realignment.