France sends nuclear aircraft carrier to Mediterranean as Mideast war widens

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France is deploying its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escort frigates to the Mediterranean as war spreads across the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

He said the United States and Israel had launched military operations against Iran “outside the framework of international law, which we cannot approve,” even as he sharply criticised Tehran, saying the Islamic Republic bears “primary responsibility” for regional instability.

Macron warned that strikes against Iran are expected to continue in the coming days and that retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region are also likely to persist.

Alongside Germany and the United Kingdom, he said France had called for an immediate halt to the strikes, stressing that “lasting peace in the region will only come through the resumption of diplomatic negotiations.”

France has also deployed Rafale fighter jets, air defence systems and airborne radar assets to protect allied airspace, and will maintain those measures “as long as necessary,” he said.