The joint US-Israeli operation against Iran has wholesale both to the leadership of the ayatollah regime, with the death of Ali Khamenei, and to the military capabilities of Tehran, with the aim of reducing its potential for retaliation. To this last end, they propose joining France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as expressed in a joint statement by the bloc of the three European countries, which informally coordinate foreign and security policies.
Among the measures they intend to take in defense of their interests in the Middle East and in collaboration with the United States, the three countries consider acting to destroy Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones. “We will take measures to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially enabling necessary and proportionate defensive actions to destroy Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones at their source,” reads a joint statement. “We have agreed to collaborate with the United States and the allies of the region on this issue,” they added.
Prior to this statement, the three E3 leaders showed a warm support and even raised questions about the offense. The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, He questioned “how far the harsh Iranian retaliation in the region will escalate, and whether the plan to provoke political change from within through military attacks from without will work.” Likewise, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer He had until now refrained from condemning or applauding the ‘Epic Fury’ operation, led by the United States, in an attempt to stay on the tightrope, balancing to please both Trump and the voices on the left of his party that ask him to show independence from the actions of the White House.
In response to Iranian retaliation
However, in view of Iran’s retaliation, the three countries this Sunday condemned the “indiscriminate and disproportionate” attacks with missiles launched by Tehran at other countries, “including those that were not involved in the initial US-Israeli military operations.”
“Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and They are threatening our military personnel and our civilians throughout the region. We urge Iran to immediately put an end to these reckless attacks,” they stressed. In that sense, the British Defense Secretary, John Healeyhe expressed in statements to the BBC concern about British bases in the regionwhich considers that they are at risk of suffering “increasingly indiscriminate” attacks. Healey has claimed that 300 soldiers were “within a few hundred metres” of an Iranian attack on a base in Bahrain on Saturday. In addition, the British have already initiated actions to neutralize attacks from Iran, with a joint mission with Qatar to shoot down an Iranian drone aimed at that allied country this Sunday.
The impact of another Iranian attack has also directly affected French positions. Although there is no official information, nor response from the French authorities, several sources have reported attacks by Iranian Shahed drones in the French naval base Peace Camp in Abu Dhabi, according to available information.
Interests in the region
The interests that the three countries are willing to defend, in what would be an escalation of the conflict, range from protection of personnel and military bases to commercial relations. In the military field, Paris has a permanent military base in United Arab Emirateswhere at least 650 soldiersaccording to the European Council of Foreign Relations. To this deployment will be added the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, which has shortened its deployment in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea to head to the Eastern Mediterranean, following orders approved in an emergency session of the National Defense and Security Council, convened by Macron this Sunday. He United Kingdom also maintains a Permanent Navy base in Bahrainwhich houses between 300 and 500 people.
Likewise, the arms exports They are an important sector for the three European countries and sales to countries of Near East. In this sense, France is the second largest arms exporter in the worldonly behind the United States, and a key source of income is the marketing of combat aircraft such as the Rafalecon Qatar as one of the main destinations. In the case of Germany and the United Kingdom, this sector also places them among the ten largest global exporters, according to the latest reports from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Concerns about a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key step for the world trade in oil and natural gas, They also contribute to the intention to put pressure on Iran to avoid the destabilization of the world economy and a potential general rise in prices.
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