France pledges military support to Gulf states and Jordan against Iranian attacks, joining a coalition ready to strike missile launch sites.
PARIS: France has declared it is ready to join the defence of Gulf nations and Jordan against Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed France’s “full support and complete solidarity” with the targeted allied countries on Monday.
He stated France stands ready to act “in accordance with the agreements that bind it to its partners and with the principle of collective self-defence provided under international law”.
The minister named Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan as the nations deliberately targeted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Barrot highlighted that an estimated 400,000 French citizens are currently residents or visitors in countries in and around the Gulf region.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on Sunday affirming their readiness to defend their interests and those of their allies.
The three nations condemned Iran’s “reckless attacks” which are threatening military personnel and civilians across the region.
They warned of taking steps “potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source”.
Iran launched the series of strikes after its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by US-Israeli missiles on Saturday.
Fresh strikes were reported across the Gulf on Monday, including on the cities of Dubai, Doha, and Manama.
Iran’s army stated it had used 15 cruise missiles in attacks on a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.