Day 10: The Battle for the Strait — France, China, and Russia All Send Warships to Hormuz

On March 9, 2026, France announced it is deploying its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, along with 8 frigates and 2 Mistral amphibious carriers, to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. France is not joining the American war. This is a separate, European-led naval force, with Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain each contributing warships.But France is not the only power heading to the strait. China deployed its 48th fleet from Djibouti, back-channeling with Iran for safe passage. Russia, China, and Iran are running joint naval exercises inside the strait during an active war. Three naval forces, three agendas, one 21-mile chokepoint that carries 20% of the world's oil, where tanker traffic has dropped 90% and 10 vessels have been attacked in the first week.The trigger: a Shahed drone hit the British military base at Akrotiri, Cyprus, the first drone attack on EU territory. Macron declared: "When Cyprus is attacked, Europe is attacked."Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep75About War DeskWar Desk is an investigative podcast using AI assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.Subscribe to NBN's NewsletterGet new investigations, new shows, and the raw intelligence you won't find anywhere else straight to your inbox.Sign up at nbn.fm/newsletter.