Macron Says Hormuz Strait Risk Was Underestimated

French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with ABC News’ David Muir that the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz had “probably” been underestimated as tensions have pushed up global energy prices.

Hormuz Strait And Energy Prices

Macron said the immediate aim was “to find the right deal” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, citing an escalating global energy crisis that has driven up the cost of gas, diesel and jet fuel.

He said that when the war began, Iran had recognised it held a “card” in its ability to close the strait. Macron added that the issue “was probably underestimated” and that it needed to be addressed.

Asked by Muir whether he saw the situation as a “blind spot” for President Donald Trump, Macron said he would not blame anyone and argued that the United States was in a position to resolve the problem.

On whether France would commit its military to reopen the strait, Macron said he did not want to be drawn into a confrontation with any country, but indicated France was ready to become “more engaged” to protect capabilities that could make transit possible.

Criticism Of War And US-European Disputes

Macron also criticised the decision to pursue regime change through bombing, saying he did not think such an approach was “feasible” and that it had failed in the past. He said he believed the tactic did not work and described it as a mistake made “several times” over the previous decades.

Turning to Trump’s complaints that the United States has spent “hundreds of billions of dollars” while European allies were not “there” for it, Macron said France respected the US and considered itself a “good ally”. He said that if countries planned to engage, they should strategise together and consult before launching a war. Macron said France did not join the conflict because it believed it was not the right option.

Ukraine, Russia And AI Debate

On Russia’s war in Ukraine, Macron said he did not believe Vladimir Putin when the Russian president says Moscow has “no aggressive intentions”. Macron said he did not accept Putin’s previous statements about wanting peace or that Russia is not aggressive towards Europeans.

Macron said he had a “very good discussion” with Trump in New York this week about the war. He said he believed Trump now had a fair assessment that Russia was not getting what it wanted, while Ukraine was resisting with “bravery and innovation”. He added that he hoped Trump would be persuaded further and said he believed Trump had come to the view that Russia’s prospects were “overrated”.

Muir also asked about Trump’s recent social media post showing a map with the US flag spanning North America, including French territories off Canada. Macron said he had told Trump “several times” that he found the map strange. He said there were already enough urgent issues, including a war in Ukraine that is “existential” for European security, the conflict in the Middle East and technological competition tied to AI. He said he wanted to avoid creating “new conflicts and new tensions”.

Macron said he took seriously concerns about AI posing a threat to humanity. He called for transparency, cooperation and new regulation, arguing that the issue should be discussed globally. He said a pause for frontier model development and innovation should be distinguished from preventing misuse, and said regulation should not be decided solely by the US government.

Triumphal Arch In Washington

Muir also asked about Trump’s proposed “Triumphal Arch” in Washington, which Trump has said would be inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Macron said he had seen pictures and that he and Trump had discussed the Paris monument “several times”.

Asked whether the Washington arch would “blow it away”, Macron replied that it would not, saying Paris would remain Paris and the Arc de Triomphe would remain the Arc de Triomphe. He added that such monuments were “bigger than ourselves”.

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24 September 2026