French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday announced the reinforcement of French military presence in the Middle East region.
His move came at an emergency defence council meeting after two Iranian drones hit a French Naval base in the United Arab Emirates, which was damaged but with no casualties.
France, Macron said, will “strengthen its position and defensive support to stand alongside those with whom we have defence treaties and be able to adapt our stance to the developments of the last few hours”.
He said he has been in contact with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan as well as the president of the autonomous Kurdistan Region as he looks to reinforce France’s presence and safeguard the security of its citizens and assets in the Middle East.
France initially described the US attacks on Tehran on February 28 as “dangerous for all”, asking for the escalation to “stop because of serious consequences for international peace and security”.
He tone, though, hardened after two Iranian drones struck the French base in the UAE.
Yesterday evening, France with Germany and the UK announced it would work with the US and other partners to “defend our interests and those of our allies in the region”.
The statement added that this co-operation could involve taking necessary and proportionate defensive measures to neutralise Iran’s capacity to launch missiles and drones at their source.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group have stopped their deployment in the Baltic Sea and are on the move to the eastern Mediterranean, reported French. news broadcaster BFMTV, although no official statement has been made.
About 60 French-flagged or French-owned vessels are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, according to Édouard Louis-Dreyfus, head of Armateurs de France, the French shipowners’ association that represents 60 member companies operating around 1,000 vessels.
He said ships had been instructed not to attempt to leave the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and handles a significant share of global oil shipments, has been severely disrupted following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.
