The Tangwall Campagin. France deploys THE Charles de Gaulle in the conflict zone, as well as anti-missile batteries. It authorizes American aircraft to land on its bases if necessary. Does it assume its role as an ally in the American conflict?
Maud Bregeon. France’s role is very clear: we are working to contain the conflict and avoid escalation as much as possible. In fact, we are alongside our strategic partners in the region, in a defensive posture, to contribute to their security and the protection of their territory. This is the case of Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Iraq.
We also support our partners in the European Union and in particular Cyprus, which was hit. France is also alongside Lebanon, this friendly country which is so close to us, where the situation is critical, to stop the war and avoid the worst.
However, is France opening its military bases in the region to American fighter planes?
No. This is a war that we did not choose. Our action and the support we provide remain entirely defensive. As for the bases on our soil, France has demanded that none of the tanker planes stationed there participate in actions carried out outside international law. She obtained the full guarantee.
The Americans intervened in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria using the same modus operandi: destruction of the regime in place and withdrawal, at the risk of leaving chaos behind them. Is this to be feared in the case of Iran?
The Iranian regime has oppressed its people, degraded women and minorities. It has also for years developed a nuclear program endangering the security of all and in particular of the States of the region, Israel in the lead. Iran therefore bears primary responsibility for this war. However, regional escalation has serious consequences for international peace and security. Since the first hours of the conflict, the President of the Republic has been in close contact with each of his European counterparts and leaders in the region.
France wants to participate in securing the Strait of Hormuz. Does she have the means?
It is an essential logistics node for the circulation of raw materials. 20% of the world’s oil and 20% of LNG circulate through this strait. Its blocking is an obvious vector of destabilization, likely to impact the global economy, primarily with the rise in energy prices. It is precisely for this reason that the President of the Republic was at the origin, a few days ago, of a collective initiative aimed at restoring free movement in the Strait of Hormuz when the conditions are right. It could draw inspiration from Operation Aspides, in the Red Sea, in which France has participated permanently since 2024 alongside 21 Member States of the European Union. For example, the French Navy has escorted nearly 150 commercial ships and is participating in rescue missions for damaged ships and their crews.
400,000 of our nationals found themselves trapped in the conflict in the region. Will France continue the evacuation of those who wish to do so?
Our priority is the safety of the French. All our compatriots who wish will return. The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and the diplomatic and consular teams are monitoring each situation with the greatest attention. Their commitment since the start of the conflict is remarkable. France, for example, was the first country in the world to charter a plane intended to repatriate its nationals.
We are therefore very supportive of every French person retained in the region. We ensure that these returns are made in the best possible security conditions. To date, nearly a thousand of our compatriots have already been repatriated thanks to the means employed by the Quai d’Orsay with priority given to the most vulnerable, children and pregnant women. There is a prioritization logic that everyone can understand, but no one will be forgotten.
Do you confirm that to date, no French, civilian or military casualties have been reported?
To my knowledge, no.
In France, our fellow citizens are worried about the rise in fuel prices which began this week. How can we guarantee that distributors and oil companies will not benefit from a windfall effect?
We are monitoring the situation with the greatest vigilance. I appreciate what these increases represent for our compatriots, particularly the most vulnerable. I also know that a large majority of French people have no other choice than to take their car every day and go to the gas station. We study all scenarios and monitor the situation in real time.
“ No, there is no risk of shortage, neither in gas nor in oil »
With Roland Lescure and Serge Papin, we also received distributors on Wednesday with a simple message: price increases must strictly correspond to the real impacts of the conflict in the Middle East. This also applies to all players in the chain: distributors are not the only ones who must guarantee this. In a moment of tension and great uncertainty, everyone must be reasonable. Daily checks will be carried out and we will not hesitate to point out abusive behavior.
Are there risks of shortages if the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz persists over time?
No, there is no risk of shortage at this time, neither in gas nor in oil. France has diversified its imports and we have stocks. For example, this Friday evening 98% of service stations were not facing any supply deficit, which corresponds to the usual situation.
Part of the left is calling for a price freeze, or a reduction in fuel taxes to contain the increase. Will the government accede to it if the crisis continues?
What matters to contain energy prices, and therefore not to suffer, is the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz. Then, contrary to what we sometimes hear, crises have never enriched the State, quite the contrary! Some shamefully claim that the State would benefit from price increases. This is obviously false; the impact of crises on growth and consumption is always negative for public finances. The examples of recent years, such as Covid or the energy crisis of 2022 and 2023, have amply demonstrated this and still explain our deficit today. I add that only a few days ago, ironically, certain oppositions criticized the Multi-year Energy Program which nevertheless accelerates our exit from fossil fuels. Current events show that the Prime Minister was right to do so…
Is the idea of a tariff shield not being considered or studied at all?
The tariff shield, deployed to protect the French in the face of an energy crisis which lasted more than two years, cost public finances 72 billion euros. It was a necessary choice but one which obviously cannot become the norm. The war in Iran and its impact on energy prices began only a few days ago. The situation is in no way comparable.
Are you telling the French, apart from the fact that the situation is not the same as at the height of the inflationary crisis, that our budgetary situation would not allow us to cover part of the bill?
The best way to reduce the cost is to work to contain the conflict! This is what the President of the Republic does. Then, we have always been there to protect the French. During the 2026 budget for example, despite the constraints, we ensured that no tax increase would impact purchasing power. Better than that, the activity bonus for working French people has been increased. And we must meet the 5% deficit target.
The municipal elections are being held in a week. Do you think there will be lessons to be learned from this at the national level?
There are always lessons to be learned when the French express themselves, but it is too early to draw conclusions. There is still a week of campaign left, the vote hasn’t even taken place! I add that the municipal elections involve 35,000 votes, in 35,000 municipalities. One week before the first round, I only have one message to send to voters: read the programs, participate in public meetings, question the candidates and go vote! What is at stake on March 15 and 22 is the heart of your daily life for the next six years.
They are nevertheless affected by the context of the lynching of Quentin Deranquein which ex-collaborators of an LFI deputy are implicated, and by the repeated excesses of Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Are you in favor of the establishment of an anti-LFI cordon santé?
I have always been clear: as a citizen, I will never put an LFI ballot in the ballot box. As a politician, I never called for voting for them. Their anti-Semitic excesses, their communitarian speeches and the violence they convey are all attacks on the Republic. My ambition is to contribute at my level to building an alternative to the deadly tango that they dance with the National Rally.
“ What is at stake on March 15 and 22 is the heart of your daily life »
The moral decadence of the far left does not make far-right populism any more desirable. The extremes seek this face-to-face encounter and feed each other. We must bring together goodwill, prepare the union of the center and the right to build a solid alternative and convince the French.
At the end of the municipal elections, the government will have a limited period of time until the summer to pass legislation. Which ones?
Time is running out, but France cannot wait. There are emergencies that must find answers. This is the mission entrusted by the Prime Minister to all members of the government. Firstly, we will strengthen our capacity to protect the French via the daily security bill and that on municipal police carried by Laurent Nuñez, the criminal justice bill by Gérald Darmanin which should allow justice to be faster, or the Rodwell-Barnier bill on the prevention of the risk of attacks. We will also continue to have a reform ambition, centered on the clarification of skills and standards, with the simplification and decentralization bills which will arrive in Parliament in the spring.
What about the agricultural bill announced by the Prime Minister?
The consultation begins now under the authority of Annie Genevard. We hope that the method of compromise supported by the Prime Minister, which has proven itself with the budgetary texts this winter, will allow each parliamentary group to construct a text which responds to the difficulties encountered by farmers, access to water or predation, while protecting our agricultural sovereignty, without sacrificing anything to public health. On the other hand, for this text to be voted on in the end by Parliament, and therefore for it to be useful on every farm, it cannot become a political leaflet. This is an emergency law, not the big night. And this is what was requested by the profession. We are aiming for a presentation to the Council of Ministers at the beginning of April, then the start of examination in the National Assembly in May. This will not exhaust all the debates, but we will respond as best we can to emergencies before the presidential election.
The end-of-life law was adopted in the National Assembly by a smaller number of deputies and in a version very different from that of the Senate. If this text does not find a landing point in Parliament, will it be submitted to a referendum?
The referendum is a constitutional prerogative of the President of the Republic. It will be up to him to express himself if necessary. Furthermore, the shuttle between the rooms must continue, without forced passage.
