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France is “ready” to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.
Iran has launched a series of missile and drone strikes on several Gulf countries, saying it is targeting US bases, after being hit by US-Israeli missiles from Saturday that had killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“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,” he said.
“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.
Barrot said an estimated 400,000 French citizens were residents or currently visiting countries in and around the Gulf.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom said Sunday they were ready to defend their interests and those of their allies in the Gulf if needed.
“Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and are threatening our service personnel and our civilians across the region,” they said in a joint statement.
“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,” they added.
Fresh strikes were heard across the Gulf on Monday, including on the cities of Dubai, Doha and Manama, as Iran’s army said it had used 15 cruise missiles in attacks on a US air base in Kuwait and vessels in the Indian Ocean.
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