Seoul, Apr 2 (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday defended the value of NATO and rejected a US-proposed military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He instead called for a ceasefire, renewed negotiations with Iran, and deterrence measures to protect maritime traffic.
«I believe that alliances like NATO are valuable for what is not said, that is, the trust that underpins them,” Macron said upon his arrival in Seoul, after US President Donald Trump criticized the North Atlantic alliance for its lack of support for the offensive against Tehran and suggested the United States could abandon it.
The French president also dismissed the option of opening the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, an approach Washington has requested on several occasions.
«It has never been the option we have chosen, and we consider it unrealistic,» Macron said, stressing that military action cannot provide a «lasting solution» to the Iranian nuclear issue.
«If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation could deteriorate again within a few months or a few years,» he warned.
Nevertheless, Macron recalled that he had advocated from the outset for reopening the strategic waterway, but only if it were done «in collaboration» with Iranian authorities.
«The first thing, obviously, is a ceasefire, the resumption of negotiations and, within that framework, ensuring that there are no attacks on ships, possibly through deterrence missions, as we are offering. This is one of the possible options, but it is by no means a military operation,» he said.
Regarding the US and Israeli offensive against Iran, Macron said that «a selective military action, even for a few weeks, will not resolve the nuclear issue in the long term.»
«What is needed is the strictest possible framework to prevent further enrichment,» he added.
«Neither Elegant Nor Appropriate»
Macron also reacted to recent comments by Trump about his marriage, after the US president suggested the French leader was «being mistreated by his wife.»
«The comments I heard (…) are neither elegant nor appropriate, so I won’t respond to them; they don’t deserve a response,» Macron said.
His remarks came hours after Trump, speaking during an Easter lunch at the White House, referred to an incident in May 2025 in which French First Lady Brigitte Macron appeared to slap the president before disembarking from a plane.
«I called Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly and who is still recovering from that right hook to the jaw, and I said to him: ‘Emmanuel, we would love to receive some help in the Persian Gulf. If you could, could you please send ships right away?’,» Trump said. EFE
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