France sending aircraft carrier to Mediterranean, Macron says

PARIS, March 3 (Reuters) - President ‌Emmanuel Macron ​on ​Tuesday said France was sending its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean and working ‌to build a coalition that would help secure maritime ⁠traffic imperiled by the escalating crisis in the Middle East.

In a televised address ‌to the nation, Macron ‌said that action needed to be taken with the Straits of Hormuz closed and the Suez Canal and Red ​Sea shipping routes threatened by the widening conflict.

"We have economic interests to protect, because oil prices, gas prices ⁠and the international trade situation are being profoundly disrupted by this war.," Macron said.

He ​said France had also sent a frigate to Cyprus and had shot down drones in the skies ​above its Gulf allies.

Rafale jets were ‌among the assets being used .

"We have defense agreements that bind us to Qatar, Kuwait, and ⁠the United Arab Emirates. The latter are particularly targeted, and we owe them solidarity," Macron said.

He said France was helping its ⁠citizens who wanted to leave the region get out and that two ​flights were due to arrive in Paris on Tuesday evening. Security had also been reinforced at some sites in France, he added.

Macron said ‌Iran itself "bears primary responsibility" for the U.S.-Israeli action, but added: "the United States of America and ‌Israel have decided to launch military operations; they were conducted ⁠outside international law, which we ‌cannot approve."

(Reporting by ​Makini Brice and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Ingrid Melander; editing by Richard ‌Lough)

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