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By Lawrence Agbo
France has declared it is ready to support Gulf countries and Jordan in the wake of escalating hostilities triggered by joint Israel-US strikes on Iran, as missile and drone exchanges widen across the region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on Monday that if its regional allies were attacked again, Paris was ready to take action under current defence arrangements.
“To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and dragged into a war they did not choose — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan — France expresses its full support and complete solidarity,” Barrot said.
Iran rained a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes across several Gulf states, saying it was targeting US military installations, after the weekend Israel-US missiles reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The escalation has raised fears of a broader regional conflict involving multiple state actors.
Barrot stressed that France’s position was grounded in international law and collective security frameworks.
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“It stands ready, in accordance with the agreements that bind it to its partners and with the principle of collective self-defence provided under international law, to take part in their defence,” he said.
Paris is also closely monitoring the safety of its nationals in the region. Barrot disclosed that an estimated 400,000 French citizens reside in or are currently visiting countries in and around the Gulf, heightening the stakes for France as tensions mount.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Sunday issued a joint statement warning Tehran against further escalation. The three European powers said they were prepared to defend their interests and those of their allies if necessary.
“Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and are threatening our service personnel and our civilians across the region,” the statement read.
“We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” it added.
