Britain, France and Germany have said they are prepared to coordinate closely with the United States and regional partners to counter Iran’s retaliatory military actions, as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East.
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In a joint statement issued on Sunday, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz said they were deeply alarmed by what they described as Iran’s “reckless” strikes against allied targets, news agency AP reported. The leaders said the attacks posed a direct threat to their citizens and military personnel deployed in the region.
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The three countries said they were willing to take steps to protect both their own interests and those of their allies, including supporting what they termed necessary and proportionate defensive measures. These could involve actions aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones, particularly by targeting them at their point of origin, the report stated.
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The statement added that Britain, France and Germany had agreed to work jointly with the United States and regional allies to address the escalating situation, though no specific operational details were disclosed.
This comes after a series of attacks reported in multiple locations, including Cyprus, where Britain’s Defence Ministry said a suspected drone struck its military base at Akrotiri Base. In France, President Emmanuel Macron said a drone hit a hangar at a French naval base on Sunday.
Apart from Britain, France and Germany, foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain convened an emergency virtual meeting on Sunday, denouncing Iranian missile attacks that they said struck US military bases, airports, hotels and residential neighbourhoods within their territories and in Jordan.
(With inputs from AP)