France to deploy two warships to the Strait of Hormuz while Royal Navy vessel remains in Portsmouth

France is set to deploy two warships to the critical Strait of Hormuz in a bid to reopen the vital shipping route in the Persian Gulf. Emmanuel Macron told members of the press in Cyprus about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, will be stationed in the region. The French President said the "purely defensive mission" would protect oil and gas shipments through the strait, one of the world s most important and notorious choke points, which has been blocked off