France has responded to threats by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from NATO, stating that the military alliance is designed to ensure Euro-Atlantic security and not to launch offensive operations in the Strait of Hormuz. French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested a U.N. framework for any action in the vital artery for global oil supplies, which Iran has effectively shut. Junior Army Minister Alice Rufo, a close ally of Macron, said she understood the Americans' anger over France's refusal to join a coalition to immediately unblock the strait.