President Emmanuel Macron has said France is sending its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean and working to build a coalition that will help secure maritime traffic imperiled by the escalating crisis in the Middle East, reports Reuters.

In a televised address to the nation, Macron said that action needed to be taken with the Straits of Hormuz closed and the Suez Canal and Red Sea shipping routes threatened by the widening conflict.

“We have economic interests to protect, because oil prices, gas prices and the international trade situation are being profoundly disrupted by this war.,” Macron said.