French carrier Charles de Gaulle returns to Toulon after five-month deployment

The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group left Toulon on 27 January for a deployment originally planned for NATO exercises in the Baltic and the Atlantic. After the outbreak of the Israel‑Iran‑US conflict, the mission was redirected. The carrier moved through the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, then operated in the Strait of Hormuz to help secure commercial navigation.

On the morning of 11 July the group docked back in Toulon. President Emmanuel Macron said the return was decided because the situation between Iran and the United States had improved. Crew members expressed relief, with one sailor stating “We’re all happy to go home” and another describing the last weeks as “hard”. The deployment lasted 166 days, covering more than 6,000 km.