France, April 13 -- "In the coming days, together with the United Kingdom, we will organise a conference with those countries prepared to contribute alongside us to a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait," Macron said Monday, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas from the region.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran more than six weeks ago brought traffic through the strait to a standstill.

After ceasefire talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan ended in failure this weekend, US President Donald Trump ordered the US navy to carry out a blockade of traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports starting Monday afternoon.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "...