French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a bilateral discussion on Wednesday that centered on the imperative of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to maritime traffic.
During the meeting, Macron highlighted the need to preserve unobstructed shipping lanes in the strategic strait. He urged President Pezeshkian to consider a proposal advanced by France and Britain to establish an international mission tasked with securing safe transit through the waterway.
Macron made a public comment on social media, stating on X that he had invited the Iranian president to take advantage of this opportunity. He also indicated his intention to raise the matter with President Trump.
The officials' exchange focused on the navigational and security dimensions of the Strait of Hormuz, which the parties discussed in the context of ensuring the free passage of ships. The topic of an international mission - as put forward by France and Britain - was presented by Macron to Pezeshkian as a potential mechanism for protecting transit.
Observers were told that Macron urged consideration of the Franco-British plan without elaborating further on operational details or timelines. The conversation was framed around the objective of keeping shipping lanes open and secure, with Macron explicitly encouraging Iran to engage with the proposed international initiative.
The Strait of Hormuz is referenced in the discussion as a critical maritime corridor for global oil shipments, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. That geographic role was cited by the parties as the underlying reason for the emphasis on maintaining unobstructed transit through the region.
The meeting concluded with Macron expressing both an invitation to Iran to participate in the proposed international effort and a plan to raise the subject at a subsequent discussion with President Trump. Beyond those statements, no additional commitments or responses from the Iranian side were recorded in the account of the talks.
Context note - The conversation as described focused narrowly on the proposal for an international mission and the shared aim of preserving open shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.