France Joins China, Russia in Blocking Gulf Nations’ Bid to Use Force to Open Strait of Hormuz
“But in the wake of the war, even countries like Qatar and Oman … have indicated that their relationships with the Islamic republic are probably irreparably damaged.”
Days after its decision to restrict airspace for U.S. military overflights supplying Israel, France aligned with fellow United Nations Security Council members China and Russia to block a Gulf nations’ resolution authorizing the use of force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Senior U.N. officials told The New York Times that these nations, three of the five permanent members of the Council with veto power, “opposed any language authorizing force.”
The Times reported:
The actual vote on the resolution, which was drafted by Bahrain with the support of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, is expected to be scheduled for Friday. But it remained unclear whether extra hours of diplomacy would bring the three veto-holding countries on board.
There were also divisions over the resolution among the 10 nonpermanent members, according to diplomats.
According to the sources, the problematic portion of the resolution states:
The Security Council authorizes member States, acting nationally or through voluntary multinational naval partnerships, with advance notifications to the Security Council, to use all necessary means to secure transit passage and to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Control of this narrow corridor through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas supply must pass is the IRGC’s last remaining point of leverage. Its closure has roiled energy markets and driven oil prices into the stratosphere.
Additionally, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles at its Gulf neighbors since the war began, inflicting extensive damage on military, energy, and civilian targets across the region.
It’s no surprise that China and Russia would stand up for Iran, but France?
From the Times’ report:
Bahrain’s foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, told a session of the Security Council on Thursday that “Iran’s aggressive intentions” toward its Arab neighbors were “treacherous” and “preplanned,” and violated international law. He said Iran had targeted civilian structures such as airports, water stations, seaports and hotels.
Abdulaziz Sager, the chairman of the Gulf Research Center, a think tank based in Saudi Arabia, said any cease-fire agreement must also address Iran’s capability to attack Gulf countries and control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. “We will not forget what they have done to us, and they will not forget that the U.S. had a lot of facilities here in the Gulf,” he said.
The Qatari government said it expects a $20 billion loss in annual revenue. Most of the Gulf countries had maintained cordial ties with Iran before the war, including Saudi Arabia, which re-established diplomatic relations with Iran in a China-brokered pact in 2023.
Saudi and Emirati officials in particular had come to believe that the best way to manage the threat posed to them by Iran was through nurturing diplomacy and shared economic interests, analysts say.
Bahrain was an exception. An island nation where a Sunni monarchy rules over a Shiite-majority citizenry, Bahrain has long had an antagonistic relationship with Iran, accusing it of meddling in its internal affairs and stirring up dissent.
But in the wake of the war, even countries like Qatar and Oman — which often served as a mediators between the United States and Iran — have indicated that their relationships with the Islamic republic are probably irreparably damaged. They have handed the mediator role to Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.
President Donald Trump is disgusted with the lack of cooperation the U.S. has received from our NATO allies over the past month. France’s weekend rebuff follows a series of similar slights from across the alliance. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently made his position clear, stating, “This is not our war, and we’re not going to be dragged into it.” Italy, for its part, declined to authorize a U.S. military aircraft bound for the Middle East to land at Naval Air Base Sigonella in Sicily last week. Spain, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the alliance’s least cooperative members.
And on Tuesday, he took to Truth Social to express his anger.
Trump rebuked “all of those countries that can’t get jet fuel, like the United Kingdom,” for their unwillingness to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. He suggested they either buy their oil from the U.S. or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Trump’s suggestion was “unrealistic because it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, a host of other risks.”
With allies like France …
Our NATO allies’ hesitation to join efforts to confront one of the world’s most destabilizing actors may ultimately prove shortsighted, particularly when that threat lies in their own backyard. As Iran’s targeting of Diego Garcia, a U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean nearly 4,000 kilometers away from Tehran, showed, the regime is now capable of striking cities in Western Europe.
While Trump could have delivered his message more diplomatically, it is a message that one European nation cannot afford to ignore. The West faces a common enemy in Iran, one whose capacity to disrupt global stability through its control of the Strait of Hormuz poses serious risks to energy markets and regional security.
But, like many Democrats in America, our cowardly allies in Europe would rather see Trump lose than see the bully of the world annihilated.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
Unless they’re going to send their navies to protect the Iranian Blockade, pray tell, what are they going to do to stop the Gulf States from protecting their own economic interests by reopening the straights forcibly?
Good luck with that. They have, what, 3 ships between them?
The EU or the gulf states? I guess both are true
Well France does have an aircraft carrier and associated support ships. They also have some nuclear subs. Don’t know how good they or their personnel are. I don’t recall the last time their navy was involved in anything,
It appears that both France and the UK are now de facto Islamic states.
There is literally nothing left in the UK worth defending since they’ve ceded their freedom and liberties to the politically-correct (and therefore factually INCORRECT) collectivists, who are apparently Islamo-Marxists.
The US needs to save however many billions of dollars per year that we’re currently expending on NATO, since the countries with whom we signed that treaty simply no longer exist.
All of you formerly-Great Britons who gave up your firearms for a little bit of security had better pull your heads out and start voting out the politicians who have done this to you.
“U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently made his position clear, stating, “This is not our war, and we’re not going to be dragged into it.”
It’s true. Their war is now on their own streets, and they’re fighting like hell to ensure they lose it decisively, insh’allah..
Nothing. They are relying on the Americans to do everything and pay for it just like the last 75 years. It’s long past time to leave them to their own devices. Pull out of NATO, close our military bases in Europe and deploy the troops elsewhere or bring them home and cut off all funding to their countries. Good luck with your green crap and imported muslim army
Old and cold: “Putin is the greatest threat to Europe since
SchicklgruberHitler!!”New and bold: “Putin is a valuable ally in the EU’s tireless efforts to keep totalitarianism on the march!!”
Being “diplomatic” is what created the dumpster fire that is modern NATO in the first place. NATO has swiftly gone from its hair-on-fire theatrics about “PUTIN WANTS TO INVADE EUROPE!! AAAAAAAAAGH!” to openly siding with Putin. Nuclear-hot hatred of Jews and Americans is NATO’s only remaining principle, not mutual defense.
Perhaps it is time to simply let the truth have its day and let the professionally outraged ply their disgusting trade on their own
nickelEuro.“Diplomacy” is the art of saying “nice doggie” while looking for a bigger rock.
I thought diplomacy was arguing about the shape of the negotiation table while more and more of your troops die.
I seem to recall something about that involving Vietnam and the Paris peace talks
France, like Spain, is afraid of upsetting the Islamists who they have allowed to take over their countries. For Spain, it is the re-reconquista. For France, it is surrender as usual.
Yup, demographics is destiny!
“For Sale: WWII French military-surplus rifles. Excellent condition; never fired, only dropped once.”
It’s an oldie but goody.
Cheese-eating surrender monkeys.
Quiche eating
Sigh. Changing all the fast-food menus AGAIN?
Bingo!
One, France can’t stop anybody.
France and their boondoggle on alternative energy is simply delighted to see oil prices rise.
Italy was a disappointment, she’s worried about elections, but still
We came to Englands aid and shed the blood of hundreds of thousands of young men, our treasure
Churchill , there will never be another in England, never
Churchill was the correct choice for PM during WWII. His personal charm in wooing FDR to support Britain with before Pearl Harbor, his sheer stubbornness were instrumental to preserving British willingness to continue fighting. He truly is one of history’s ‘Great Men’….but that’s not the entire story.
Ask the Australians for their views about Churchill. He was an abysmal failure as 1st Lord of the Admiralty leading the British Navy in the early days of the 1st WW.. While he did lead the shift from coal to oil he also wanted ‘big battleships’ which due to cost deprived funding for modern and more useful destroyers. So the big expensive battleships were the ‘fleet in being’ considered too precious to risk in a direct naval engagement with the German navy..IOW they were effectively useless. The totally disastrous Gallipoli campaign was his personal plan and cost 250K casualties. His stubbornness also raised its head in his refusal to see that India and the rest of the British empire was gonna gain independence. He opposed bringing large numbers of troops from the Indian Army to the European western front precisely b/c he understood the PR value of brown skinned Indian Soldiers becoming pivotal in defeating Germany to the efforts of Indian independence.
At the time, battleships were still very much desired by the navies of the world. Battleships and tanks were similar in an important respect – if your potential enemy had them, you needed them too. In WW I, the ascendency of the aircraft carrier (as demonstrated in the Pacific theater in WW II) was still far in the future. Although the BB became obsolete while they were still being built, they continued to play major roles in several engagements. Early in the war (WW II), German surface fleet BBs (none of which were as powerful as later US BB classes) posed a serious threat to shipping in the Atlantic, and they became a focus of many operations meant to eliminate them. BBs remained crucial elements of a well-rounded naval force at least until the latter part of WW II. (At which point they were still very effective mobile gun platforms supporting seaborne invasions, especially after American aircraft carrier-projected air power took control of the skies, largely eliminating the air threat that might have otherwise been posed by the Japanese.)
Excellent for shore bombardment. The 16″ guns did (soon do?) get an enemy’s attention.
Great for the Pacific campaign. Marginal for the European campaign except for landings.
Dave,
Talking about utility of British Navy during the First World War and NOT WWII. Yes many Nations wanted ‘big’ battleships. The problem that arose was:
1. Funding, there’s only so much and everyone spent on a battleship can’t be spend on more useful destroyers or even cruisers.
2. British ended up with a bunch of expensive battleships and far less than needed of destroyers.
3. Battleships weren’t allowed into serous action. They were viewed as ‘too expensive to lose’
The no kidding British Naval strategy was to build and keep a bunch of battleships in a ‘home fleet’ to deter Germans from war and if war broke out to deter the Germans from using the German Navy against British interests.
The result was a critical shortage of destroyers for Britain to use and bunch of expensive toys sitting in the North Sea, unused for the most part. The introduction of submarines and aircraft immediately demonstrated the shortcomings of British naval investment and strategy. Gunnery was also deficient as the prevailing opinion within the British Navy was to polish brass, keep the decks clean, have big, pretty ships, show the Flag to scare potential adversary. IOW the Brits under Churchill built a ‘show horse’ Navy and when WWI kicked off they needed a workhorse but not only didn’t have one, they couldn’t afford one and for the most part refused to use their pretty battleships to ….you know…. go into battle.
Churchill opposed Indian Soldiers in Europe because he suspected they would be needed either in Africa or China to stop Japan.
I’m talking about the period before and into the First World War (not WW II) when discussing Churchill’s far less than perfect performances. In the First World War Japan was an ally of Britain and fought the Germans in the Pacific seizing German colonies and attacked German Navy. The Brits had more/less built the Japanese Navy selling ships, providing Officers to advise/train the Japanese Navy for decades.
so he learned from his mistakes between the wars?
As it turns out, American shed blood on French soil (twice) to liberate them from totalitarianism but all that means is that the language spoken will be Arabic instead of German.
I suppose when you’re a cheese eating surrender monkey, that’s the only arrow in your quiver.
Just don’t ask to be rescued by doughboys again.
“JFK’S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60’s when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded, “Does that include those who are buried here?”
DeGaulle did not respond. You could have heard a pin drop.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/tom.koehler.7/posts/10227355603990816/
My dislike of France actually started with DeGaulle. I;m not sure a more jumped up pompous ass existed until Obama graced us with his presence.
According to DeGaulle D-Day wasn’t about “freeing France”. The only good thing to come out of DeGaulle was how robust the Citroen DS-21 was!
America could not have won it’s independence without the aid of the French. Since then they have been quite a burden. The French underground did help during WW2 but we could have done it without them
France is the traditional ally of Russia and the enemy of Great Britain.
Modern France it seems is the ally of Putin’s Russia, Xi’s China, and the enemy of Trump’s America.
What’s truly despicable about the dhimmified European leaders such as Macron, Starmer, Sanchez, et al.) and their dhimmified countries (i.e., Ireland, the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Spain, et al.) is that they don’t possess the honesty to concede the source of their contemptibly feckless, meek, cowed, emasculated, submissive, self-debasing, gullible, stupid and self-destructive dhimmitude.
Not a single one of these so-called “leaders” is sufficiently honest to frankly state, “Yeah, we’re openly hostile to Israel and deferential/obsequious towards the Iranian Islamofascist/Muslim terrorist regime (and, towards myriad Islamofascist/Muslim terrorist groups), because our country has unwisely admitted millions of goose-stepping, belligerent, restive, subversive, Jew-hating and Christian-hating Islamofascists/Muslim supremacists.”
These pukes are content to bow in meek, feckless and emasculated submission, under the Islamofascist/Muslim supremacist bootheel and scimitar.
Don’t forget that France, under de Gaulle, was extremely hostile towards Israel, and brazenly breached a contract to sell French Mirage fighter jets to Israel, right before the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel only received compensation for the breach, in 1972.
De Gaulle made plain that he valued Arab Muslims’ oil over Israeli Jews’ lives, and the equally feckless, greasy, dhimmified and evil Macron, is following in de Gaulle’s dirty footsteps, by pandering to the Iranian (non-Arab) regime.
He also stopped the sale of naval ships Israel already paid for. So Israel just took them. They also pilfered the plans for Mirage jets and build their own.
Wishing you well on this Good Friday and hope you enjoy a happy Easter.
Thank you; I appreciate that. Happy Easter to you, too.
“Brother, you ejaculated a mouthful.”
(An actual quote, of Moe to Shemp, from a Three Stooges short. If anyone can identify which short, I’d be much obliged.)
Uncivil War Birds. 1946
Do not put that quote into a search engine without adding Three Stooges. Trust me
Awesome. Thank you.
You know what I’m going to do now! LOL
Truly Unfathomable!
How blind and stupid can they be?!
Do they care at all about their children and grandchildren?
France – takes the knee! What a surprise!
While it is popular (and not entirely incorrect) to deride France’s fighting willpower and ability, it is prudent to remember that we would not have won the Revolutionary War without the assistance of the French, including especially the Marquis de Lafayette who is buried in Picpus Cemetery in Paris under an eternally flying U.S. flag and beneath dirt taken from Bunker Hill. He remains, along with Churchill, one of only eight people awarded honorary U.S. citizenship.
Eleven million and eight,
Ha. Correct, though probably more. I should have added by an act of Congress, though one could validly argue that all of are illegals are here because of acts (or lack thereof) of Congress.
France’s assistance during the Revolutionary War was motivated more as an action against England’s interests, than in support of freedom, sovereignty of the U.S. Moreover, the U.S. has subsequently repaid that debt several times over.
Who cares?
We’ve accomplished US objectives.
We’d settle for them just not getting in the way, but if they’re going to actively impede us in serving THEIR interests, screw em.
Leave and let the Eurotards sort the Strait out themselves.
Thank you, France, for your help during our Revolutionary War / War for Independence. Much appreciated.
WTF has happened to you since? Seriously, you suck.
France under Louis XVI went into debt to finance the American Revolution. Austerity after the war led to economic instability and ushered in the French Revolution and proto-leftism/communism. Downhill since then.
USA should exit NATO!
No. The Europeans should RETURN to NATO.
Won’t happen. Their states would collapse if they paid for military what they should and their people would revolt. Once addicted to government cash always addicted,.
Don’t forget that our NATO allies landed in Greenland not long ago to stop Trump taking over the place. Their big plan was to blow up the runways to stop Americans from landing. On an island they had no way off of and when we have this giant thing called the 82cd Airborne, 101st Air Assault and the US Navy not to mention the Marines who’s purpose in life is forced beach landings
With ‘Friends and Allies’ like these it is looking more and more like were gonna have to transition from America First to the stance of ‘America Alone’ in truth. It’s what the opponents of America First, including our European ‘Friends and Allies’ have accused of us of doing in falsely claiming non intervention was equivalent to isolationism. Tough cookies EU weenies and lefty wokiestas, it appears you may just get exactly what you asked for.
Are we seeing a new alignment happening in real time?
A new America/Israel/Arabian Peninsula axis replacing the old America/Europe axis?
Harkening back to Thomas Jefferson saying to avoid European entanglements. Europe is lost…. any bets on when the call to worship will echo from Westminster Cathedral?
Don’t forget India, Thailand, South Korea l, The Philippines and Japan who are right in China’s wheelhouse and know it. We used to be able to depend on Australia and to a lesser extent the Kiwis but now, who knows?
Oh, yeah. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t wrap around the globe.
IMO more like the dam busting after several decades of the dam being undermined by our ‘friends and allies’. The fact is the Saudis and several other Gulf States have been better allies of the USA during more than a few actual conflicts than many other Nations. We’re moving to a multi polar world b/c the People of the USA have had enough of the USA being the world police with little help and far less gratitude.
Every alliance and every ally should be under constant review and scrutiny. When they fall.short of expectations we should terminate the alliance. IMO the consequences of that should also be economic and diplomatic not just limited to military affairs.
Nations which desire full access to US consumer market, priority access to US Capital markets, our banking and financial systems must also be worthy Military Allies. IOW no ‘most favored Nation’ status for slackers much less our strategic rivals.
France needs a real man in charge.
Brigitte?
**Knock, knock**
(E Howard Hunt opens door)
“Are you E Howard Hunt?”
“I am.”
“You’ve been served.”
This war has really shown every’s metal. Shocking what people really hid until now.
Jesus Christ on a bicycle- everyone’s mettle
No iron in their spines, eh?
More like jello.
PoliticoEurope
Macron’s top Middle East adviser, Anne-Claire Legendre, left in February to head the Arab World Institute […]
Legendre has been lauded internally as having led the diplomatic efforts behind France’s push for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
NATO is dead, Trump’s only “crime” is pointing out the obvious.
Starting with Charles de Gaulle, the French have never looked upon NATO as anything they should really commit to. Sure, they played along but always covered their own backsides first.
They complete understand “America First” because they have lived “France First”.
Even if France wanted to use military force to reopen the Strait, they couldn’t. They don’t have it. And they know it. So, instead, they hide behind the skirts of their cheese eating surrender monkey diplo-babble, fooling no one.
Some random thoughts.
1. Trump told Europe to spend more on defense. They are finding out what happens when they rely on the US for everything.
2. Europe is weak and only the US has been propping it up for awhile now. Europe FA, they’re about to FO.
3. Trump has managed to unite the Middle East against Iran. But not Europe. Some irony there.
4. I wonder about how oil from Venezuela post change in management will affect US interests in the Middle East.
So, France has decided to push the UN to become even more irrelevant.
Just like NATO, the UN has always been primarily funded by the US.
I wonder if making the UN more like the Democratic Party would help it.
I mean, perhaps voting power should be proportional to the level of funding.
And once voting is done, Kamala takes over.
Marquis Lafayette must be turning in his grave for what France has turned into.
Then the Gulf States should universally refuse to sell oil to France. If they love the Russians so much, let them buy from the Russians.
The US, Israel, and the gulf states are better off without any “help” from the UN.
France helping China, Russia and their future allies Iran keep the straight closed.
It is not one of our US military’s objectives. Ignore to the extent it has no military significance. Laugh at France and China.
Gulf States? Surprised that James Carville, in his seemingly drunk and drugged state, isn’t complaining that Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida have no ships to spare to send.
Well…we have the battleship USS Alabama in Mobile…/S
but – they do have the Cajan Navy – patriots if I have ever seen any!
The France that helped the US revolution was the Kingdom of France.
The Republic of France was the first enemy the USA went to war against.