Britain and France hold a Hormuz Strait summit today; France refuses NATO Secretary General’s attendance, the United States is absent.

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The United Kingdom and France co-hosted a Hormuz Strait Security Summit in Paris on Friday, seeking to build a framework to safeguard international shipping after the Iran war. However, there were significant differences among parties regarding qualification for participation, prerequisites for action, and actual implementation capabilities, casting widespread doubts on whether the summit would yield any substantive results.

According to media citing informed sources, France rejected the UK’s proposal to invite NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, insisting on limiting participants to national government leaders only. Three officials familiar with summit preparations said the Élysée Palace removed their names twice from the British-proposed guest list. The US is also not on the attendee list, but UK Prime Minister Starmer and French President Macron are expected to brief Trump on the summit results afterwards.

The security situation in the Strait of Hormuz has a direct impact on the global energy market, given its critical role in bulk commodity trade. However, according to reports, a Western official privately remarked: "The point of the whole thing is to pretend there is a plan when in fact there isn’t one at all." Another European government official said, even though the summit is characterized by a "very French" sense of grand ceremony, expectations for any concrete outcome are extremely low, and it is seen as "a response to pressure from Trump."

The summit is expected to bring together about 40 countries, who last month signed a memorandum expressing their "readiness to make appropriate contributions to ensure safe passage through the strait." German Chancellor Merz and Italian Prime Minister Meloni will attend in person.

Three-Step Plan, Actions Premised on Ceasefire

According to people involved in summit preparation, the European leaders will discuss a "three-step" plan.

The first step is diplomatic and political coordination, aimed at establishing the basic mechanisms needed to guarantee the strait’s security. The second step involves providing logistical support for ships stranded in the strait and needing assistance to depart, including security guarantees and monitoring of potential hostile activities. The third step is "providing military guarantees for freedom of navigation," including dispatching naval forces to the region—this phase, however, can only proceed after the establishment of "lasting peace."

Ahead of the summit, Starmer stated that the plan is "moving ahead, and once conditions permit, joint military forces will be deployed," emphasizing that "the international mission is strictly defensive in nature." Élysée Palace officials made clear that France’s position is: there must be no mines in the strait, passing ships must not pay transit fees demanded by Iran, and navigation conditions must return to pre-war levels.

Macron had previously made it clear that France would not take any action in the strait before a ceasefire was reached, even though he had sent an aircraft carrier and several frigates to the eastern Mediterranean. Other European leaders hold similar positions—believing that any military action is not feasible until Iran and the US stop their hostile operations around the strait.

Implementation Challenges Abound, German Participation Has Preconditions

Behind the summit lies considerable challenges regarding execution. According to Western officials cited by the media, military planners of the "volunteer coalition" have identified dozens of issues with any escort operation, none of which have easy solutions, and US involvement is not expected.

Germany’s position is particularly representative. Merz, in a call with Trump, said Germany was willing to participate in maritime operations, but only if certain conditions were met. The Bundeswehr has participated in overseas missions including Afghanistan, but is strictly bound by the constitution—deployments abroad must be collectively mandated by the EU, NATO, or the UN, and approved by Parliament. Merz reiterated on Thursday that he "in principle" supports German participation, but warned that the conditions of a temporary ceasefire, collective mandate, and parliamentary approval are "far from being met." He added there is "sufficient reason" to support US participation in the naval mission.

France is more cautious about the US role. Élysée officials stated: "We need to ensure Iran commits not to fire on passing ships, and the US commits not to block any entry or exit from the strait."

Trump Pressures Europe, "Volunteer Coalition" Pledges in Doubt

Trump’s attitude towards the summit issue is complicated. He has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for not contributing enough in the US-Iran war and has frequently emphasized that reopening the strait is Europe’s own problem, as Europe depends much more on energy exports via the waterway than the US does. His comments on Starmer have been especially sharp, saying he is "no Winston Churchill."

It is noteworthy that this Hormuz summit bears many similarities to the previous European "volunteer coalition" framework around Ukraine—both are led by the UK and France and aim to consolidate multilateral commitments, and both face doubts that the pledges will actually be fulfilled. According to reports, after more than a year of negotiations, the "volunteer coalition" intended to deploy troops and military support to Ukraine, remains largely theoretical.

Starmer has made not letting the UK "be drawn into this war" a political principle, while also signaling that Britain is willing to lead a multinational coalition to help secure the Strait of Hormuz after a ceasefire. In addition to European NATO allies, summit attendees are expected to include Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.

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