Tensions Rise After Iran Targets US Bases in Gulf
France has declared it is ready to defend Gulf countries and Jordan if Iran’s missile and drone attacks continue, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday.
The announcement comes after Iran launched a series of strikes across the region, claiming they targeted US bases, following retaliatory US-Israeli missile attacks that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
France Offers Full Support to Gulf Allies
“To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the Revolutionary Guards — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan — France expresses its full support and complete solidarity,” Barrot said.
He added that France stands ready, under existing agreements and the principle of collective self-defence under international law, to participate in protecting its partners.
Barrot also noted that roughly 400,000 French citizens live in or are visiting countries in and around the Gulf.
International Response and Escalation
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Sunday, warning they are prepared to defend their interests and those of allies in the Gulf.
“Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and are threatening our service personnel and civilians across the region,” the statement said. “We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s missile and drone capability at their source.”
Fresh strikes continued on Monday in Gulf cities including Dubai, Doha, and Manama. Iran’s military reported launching 15 cruise missiles against a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.
The situation marks a dangerous escalation in an already tense region, with international powers closely monitoring developments.
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