France backs Iraq, vows to defend Gulf states amid US-Israel-Iran conflict
Shafaq News- Paris/ Baghdad
Paris supports Baghdad’s efforts to avoid being drawn into the escalating regional conflict between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday, affirming Paris’ commitment to Iraq’s security and sovereignty.
At a press conference in Paris, Barrot was asked about the possibility of using airspace in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to carry out attacks against Iran. He pointed instead to recent diplomatic contacts, noting that French President Emmanuel Macron had spoken with caretaker Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani, while he had twice contacted Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
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The French minister described the US and Israeli strikes on Iran as a “unilateral” intervention that, in his view, should have been discussed within collective institutions such as the United Nations.
“It is only by referring the matter to the UN Security Council that the use of force can acquire the necessary legitimacy,” he told reporters, noting that “the Iranian regime bears overwhelming responsibility in this situation.”
Barrot called for military escalation to “cease as soon as possible” and said France is ready to participate in the defense of “friendly” Gulf countries —Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman— and Jordan that were targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes, “in accordance with agreements binding Paris to its partners and the principle of collective self-defense.”
While he urged preserving Lebanon from regional escalation, Barrot confirmed that no French casualties have been reported in the region so far, stressing that “the absolute priority is the safety of French nationals.”
The remarks came on the third day of the US–Israeli military operation against Iran. The deadliest reported incident occurred in Minab, in southeastern Iran, where a strike on an elementary girls’ school killed at least 148 people and injured 95. The confrontation has also spread to Lebanon, where Israel is responding after Hezbollah fired toward its territory, an action the Lebanese group framed as a “legitimate act of self-defense” after repeated Israeli assaults.
