The Dutch government said it will send a naval frigate to the Mediterranean at the request of Emmanuel Macron to help protect allies including Cyprus and safeguard maritime traffic threatened by the escalating Middle East crisis.
According to the government in Amsterdam, the vessel will serve as an air-defense and command frigate supporting the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which has been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean.
The move comes as European governments seek to reinforce regional security and maintain the safety of key sea routes.
France Expands Naval Presence
France is deploying roughly a dozen naval vessels to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of a defensive mission aimed at supporting allies affected by the widening conflict.
During a visit to Cyprus, Macron said the goal was to maintain a strictly defensive posture while ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation.
“When Cyprus is attacked, then Europe is attacked,” Macron said after meeting Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the city of Paphos.
Focus on Protecting Shipping Routes
European powers have been grappling with how to defend their economic and security interests as the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran disrupts regional stability and threatens shipping lanes.
The European Union’s main naval operation in the area is Operation Aspides, launched in early 2024 to protect vessels in the Red Sea from attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi militants.
Mitsotakis said the mission should be reinforced with additional ships, emphasizing the need for stronger European solidarity in securing international maritime routes.
Possible Escort Mission in Hormuz
Macron said France is also preparing a defensive escort mission that could eventually support commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz once the most intense phase of the conflict subsides.
The proposed operation would involve both European and non-European partners and aim to gradually restore the flow of container ships and oil tankers through the crucial passage.
