France Deploys 19 Warships Including Carrier Charles de Gaulle in 'Defensive Escort' at Hormuz

While publicly rejecting Trump's call for a combat coalition, France took a distinctive middle path: Macron announced deployment of 19 of 23 major surface combatants including carrier Charles de Gaulle and three amphibious assault ships, framed as 'purely defensive escort' rather than combat operations. NATO air defenses separately intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.