ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out joining "any use of force" to open the Strait of Hormuz.

"We will not participate in any use of force to open the strait in the context of the ongoing war and bombings," Macron told reporters during a news briefing late Thursday after EU leaders gathered in Brussels.

His remarks came after the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan signaled their readiness in a joint statement to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

"I reiterated that once the situation is calmer, France is ready, together with other nations, to take responsibility for a ship-escort system in the strait as part of a mission that is not intended to be a use-of-force operation and that will require coordination and deconfliction with Iran," Macron explained.

Reaffirming that France's position is still "defensive," he also called for an end to attacks on Eid al-Fitr.

"I hope that the weapons will fall silent to give a chance for a negotiated and sustainable solution and that a truce can be accepted by the parties involved in the hours to come," Macron noted.

Regional tensions in the Middle East have escalated since Israel and the US launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks across the region and has effectively closed to most ships the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transit route that normally handles about 20 million barrels per day and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade.