French Foreign Minister Urges End to Hormuz Crisis

(MENAFN) French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot escalated diplomatic pressure over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, delivering a stark address to the UN Security Council in which he declared the protracted maritime crisis a direct threat to global commerce and the foundations of international law.

"All of this has lasted for far too long. This must all be brought to an end," Barrot told the council, framing freedom of navigation as an "imprescriptible, inviolable right" that no state could lawfully obstruct.

The French minister invoked vivid language to underscore the waterway's global significance, warning that any interference with passage through the strait carries consequences far beyond the region.

"Straits are the arteries of the world. They are not the property of any individual," he said, stressing they "cannot be impeded by any obstacles."

Barrot broadened his argument beyond the strait itself, contending that what is playing out in Hormuz strikes at the international community's collective capacity to defend shared global interests. He cautioned that any tolerance of exceptions to established maritime principles would carry lasting and dangerous consequences.

"If we were to accept the slightest exemption to this principle, thereby, we would establish a dangerous precedent," he warned.

Pressing for coordinated multilateral action, Barrot declared that "inaction is not an option," pointing to a joint French-British initiative unveiled in Paris on April 17. The proposal calls for an international, independent, and "strictly defensive mission" focused on protecting commercial shipping, supporting mine-clearing operations, and restoring safe passage through the waterway. He noted that more than 50 nations have since thrown their weight behind the plan.

"Oceans are a space for freedom, but not a space for lawlessness," he said, in a closing remark that crystallized Paris's firm stance on the deepening crisis.

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