France appears ready to engage in defending its military assets and allies in the Gulf region amid reports that it is bolstering a European naval operation in the Red Sea with two additional high tech drone-intercepting frigates.
Paris has also joined Greece in protecting Cyprus from Iranian attack with anti-missile and anti-drone systems, the Cypriot government has said.
"The idea is to demonstrate that France participates in securing international spaces and is committed to protecting its interests in the Middle East region, including the Gulf,” said Rachid Chaker, a researcher at the Catholic University of Lille, who specialises in the Middle East and maritime issues.
The moves coincide with the strengthening of French nuclear deterrence laid out on Monday by President Emmanuel Macron. They highlight France's ambitions to lead Europe's defence despite its fragile economy and fractured politics as the continent tries to wean itself off dependence on the US.
a defence and security researcher at the Italian institute for international affairs
The Iran war has rattled US-European relations, as President Donald Trump on Tuesday lectured UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for taking too long to allow the US to use its military bases, including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, to attack Iran.
“It’s not going to matter, but [Mr Starmer] should have helped, he should have,” Mr Trump said. “I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The UK has been much different from others.”
It was not clear if France had received a similar request from the US.
The UK has also come under criticism from Cyprus after a British military base there was attacked by a drone on Sunday that was purportedly launched by Lebanon's Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
In an apparent reference to the UK allowing the US to use its bases to attack Iran, a Cypriot government representative said it had believed the UK base in Cyprus would only be used for humanitarian purposes.
On Tuesday, it appeared the UK was considering sending the Type-45 destroyer HMS Duncan to Cyprus, although it could take up to a week to arrive.
Jets and frigates
In the Gulf, France is reported to have sent Rafale jets to protect the UAE from Iranian drones over the weekend. The National understands it is also planning to send two frigates to the Red Sea to strengthen a European defensive mission that protects commercial ships in the area from drone attacks launched by Iranian allies.
"French multi‑purpose frigates have robust air‑defence systems, including radar, missiles, and close‑in systems that allow them to intercept drones, something the French Navy has already demonstrated in recent engagements in the Red Sea against Houthi drones,” said Basil Germond, professor of International Security at Lancaster University.
These reports have been neither confirmed nor denied by French authorities, although Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has repeatedly stressed his country is ready to help defend Gulf states at their request. France has about 900 soldiers in its naval and airbases in the UAE, which Mr Macron visited at Christmas. It also has defence agreements with Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan. Not all are public.
Asked by BFMTV on Tuesday to confirm the Rafale jets anti-drone operations, Mr Barrot said "they conducted their airspace security operations over our bases and therefore over the Emirates”.
France, he said, is ready to protect its citizens and allies in the region. "A presence, a mere presence, whether in the Red Sea or the Mediterranean, has a deterrent effect,” Mr Barrot said.
Questioned by The National, the Defence Ministry said "French armed forces are constantly adapting their posture to threats”. Separately, Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told France Inter radio that her country was ready to protect the UAE with Rafale jets. In 2021, the UAE ordered 80 Rafales in what remains the largest firm purchase of France's iconic fighter jet.
Possible Houthi attacks
With its Aster missiles and machine guns operated from an AS565 Panther helicopter, French frigate Alsace has been described by the Defence Ministry as destroying numerous drones targeting commercial ships as part of its duties within Aspides – the Greek-headquartered pan-European naval operation in the Red Sea that also includes a Greek and an Italian frigate.
The deployment of two extra French frigates would bring the number of ships to five.
So far, Iran-backed Houthi militias operating in Yemen have yet to restart attacks on ships in the Red Sea – one of the busiest trade lanes – despite threatening to do so last week after the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Aspides was sent in 2024 after the Houthis began harassing ships in support of Hamas as the Israeli war on Gaza expanded, forcing ships to reroute and transport costs to increase.
"Aspides conducts daily assessments of potential risks, making necessary operational adjustments where required,” an Aspides representative told The National. "In the event of a resumption of Houthi attacks – which remains a possibility – we are present and ready to implement our mandate.”
Other EU states, including Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, sent ships at the start of Aspides but have since withdrawn them.
This is in contrast with the willingness shown by France, Italy and Greece to continue naval operations in a risky area, said Elio Calcagno, a defence and security researcher at the Italian institute for international affairs.
"Very few countries are willing to send ships in harm's way,” Mr Calcagno told The National.
Although not specialised in anti-drone operations, Italian frigates are fitted with a large number of naval guns, in some cases with guided munitions, which have proven successful in shooting drones down.
Restraint and resolve
Overall, Europeans are adopting a defensive, not an offensive, approach against Iran, Mr Chaker said. "We are not operating as belligerents; in reality, we are protecting neutral states.”
Mr Germond said that "deploying frigates with anti‑drone capabilities therefore serves a dual purpose: it shows restraint, by avoiding escalation, and resolve, by ensuring France helps protecting international shipping from attacks.”
Tehran, meanwhile, has vowed to stop any ships going through the Straits of Hormuz – the world's most vital oil export route. The world's biggest container ship companies, including Maersk and CMA CGM, have been avoiding the Middle East and rerouting to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Mr Trump has no timeline for the end of the war, further raising concerns about higher energy prices.
"Between 50 and 55 ships” sailing under a French flag or belonging to French companies are stuck in the Gulf due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the general delegate of shipowners association Armateurs de France, Laurent Martens, told AFP.
"Whatever their rhetoric, Tehran does not have the military capacity to formally enforce a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the classical sense of a naval blockade,” Mr Germond said.
"But its threats and attacks have produced a de facto shutdown, with major shipping companies avoiding the waterway. Even as Iran’s military capacity declines under US strikes, the strait will remain unsafe for commercial navigation and this will continue to affect global energy markets.”
