French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that Washington’s objective was to destroy Iran’s ballistic capabilities, and that Paris shared the same objectives on restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

“I am not going to speak on behalf of Marco Rubio, and I will gladly refer to the public statements he has recently made, which correspond to the conversations we had today regarding the stated US military objectives, being the neutralisation of Iran’s ballistic capabilities,” Barrot has said on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in France.

When asked about whether the US had made requests about the Strait of Hormuz, Barrot said France shared the same objectives as the US and that an escort system for tankers would be established once the peak of hostilities in the region is over.