France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE to defend its military bases against Iranian threats, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
France has hundreds of navy, air force, and army personnel based in the UAE. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at Al-Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.
“These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities,” Barrot told broadcaster BFMTV in response to a question on French action in the UAE over the weekend to neutralise Iranian drones.
“They have carried out operations to secure the airspace above our bases.”
On Sunday, “a hangar at a French base in the United Arab Emirates was hit by a drone”, Barrot said.
“Exchanges are multiplying to determine both how the country can defend itself against future attacks and how France can protect its interests there,” he added.
France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier was, however, in the North Atlantic, as part of a previously planned multinational exercise, Barrot said, after he was asked if it had been sent to the Mediterranean.
To the best of his knowledge, it had not changed course, he said.
Meanwhile, Iran warned European countries against joining its conflict with Israel and the United States, after Germany, Britain, and France said they could take “defensive action” to destroy Iran’s missile-launching capabilities.
“It would be an act of war. Any such act against Iran would be regarded as complicity with the aggressors. It would be regarded as an act of war against Iran,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press briefing when asked about the statement.
Amid the Gruelling war, NATO has hailed “the opportunity to expand consultation on nuclear issues” with France after President Macron pledged to boost the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Macron said France would expand its atomic arsenal and could deploy nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries for the first time, in a potential major shift for Europe’s defence at a time of strained ties with the United States.
“France’s nuclear deterrent already contributes to the security of the alliance, and we welcome the initiative by President Macron to enhance deterrence further,” a NATO official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We welcome the opportunity to expand consultation on nuclear issues with France in order to ensure a coherent, coordinated approach.”
Macron updated France’s nuclear doctrine as Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds into a fifth year and NATO allies worry whether Washington’s commitment to Europe is wavering.
Reassurances from US officials that the American deterrent would continue to cover Europe under the NATO alliance have done little to quell European fears of fickleness under US President Donald Trump.
Macron announced that eight European countries, including Britain, Germany, Poland, and Sweden, had agreed to participate in what he called a “forward” nuclear deterrence scheme.
NATO’s nuclear deterrence relies on the United States, while France remains independent of the alliance’s nuclear planning group.
Macron said the efforts by France — the only European Union country with nuclear weapons, and the only one on the continent besides Britain — would complement NATO’s mission.
NATO chief Mark Rutte insisted earlier this month that “nobody” was pushing to replace the US nuclear umbrella in Europe.
By Agence France-Presse
