France and Britain have already deployed military forces and equipment to the Middle East despite criticism of the United States and Israel for their offensive against Iran, which has ignited a rapidly escalating conflict in the region.
Paris and London remain reserved about this operation, which they believe could draw Europe into the conflict, but have ordered the mobilization of fighter jets, frigates and anti-aircraft systems to protect the interests of their allies - both European and Arab.
The Netherlands is considering sending troops to participate in the operation. Greece, which has decided to deploy an anti-missile battery on the Mediterranean island of Karpathos, has sent warships to Cyprus. The island, an EU member state and located about 125 miles from Lebanon (a country also affected by the conflict) and about 215 miles from Israel, is home to two British Royal Air Force bases. A drone crashed there on Monday.
The war has also affected NATO territory: on Wednesday, Turkey reported that Alliance systems based on its territory had shot down a missile, raising fears that the chaos could spread further afield with unpredictable consequences.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, together with the Bahraini presidency, convened a Joint Council of the EU and the Gulf states to "work together to de-escalate, protect regional security and respect international law," an EU spokesperson explained. "Our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council can fully count on the EU's strong support in these turbulent times", the spokesman stressed.
Meanwhile, the Iranian regime has warned that it will attack cities in any European country that joins the military operation led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. European countries call these operations "defensive" and categorically deny that they are linked to any actions by the US and Israel.
However, defensive operations can quickly turn into offensive ones. France - the most active country at the moment, believes that when entering a military scenario, a certain number of actions cannot be ruled out in principle. That is, if Iran attacks one of its forces, they could retaliate, even striking Iranian soil. "And this is defensive. Because we are joining the US and Israeli operation," diplomatic sources explained.
Paris is trying to form a coalition to defend "freedom of navigation". The mobilization aims to ensure the normal functioning of the Strait of Hormuz and allow commercial ships to continue transporting mainly oil and liquefied natural gas, diplomatic sources stressed.
This waterway between Iran and Oman is crucial as it represents the main route for transporting crude oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to other destinations.
"This operation will be carried out with the deterrent effect of these ships", explained sources from the Elysee Palace. "The strait is closed because companies do not want to take risks, but there is no physical obstacle. We will carry out a strictly European operation. "Although this does not mean that they will not communicate with any American ships that may be present," the same sources said. To this end, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had sent a frigate to Cyprus after the attacks. He also confirmed the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" - France's most important military asset - which will sail for the Mediterranean.
On Wednesday, a Maltese-flagged container ship was hit by an unidentified projectile while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The crew abandoned the ship and are safe. It is the seventh commercial vessel to be hit in the Gulf region since the US-Israeli offensive against Iran began.
On Tuesday, the UK announced it would deploy a warship, the destroyer HMS Dragon, to the Mediterranean Sea, as well as helicopters equipped with anti-drone systems, following an Iranian drone attack on one of its military bases in Cyprus. The British government also said a team of air defence experts had been sent to the region, although the Ministry of Defence did not specify their number or where they would be deployed.
Meanwhile, France is adamant that it must lead the European defense movement and that it can no longer rely on Washington. And in this new geopolitical and military concept, another front that is open - one that could be seriously affected by an attack on Iran - is Lebanon, where Macron is personally involved in the peace process, which included provisions for the disarmament of the "Hezbollah" militias in favor of the Lebanese armed forces and a special conference for the region. The US military operation has now, however, disrupted all these plans. The feeling in the Elysee Palace is that the US has dragged Europe into an operation that seems strategically wrong.
Macron's inner circle emphasizes that France will not accept or allow an escalation of the war without taking action. "There is room for maneuver to prevent the worst. We are in southern Lebanon. We support the prime minister's announcements regarding the deployment of the Lebanese navy. We can do it with the support of our partners; that is the purpose of the conference."
The French Defense Ministry did not provide details on the nature of the defense deployment. France has approximately 900 troops stationed in Abu Dhabi at the Mina Zayed naval base and the Al Dhafra air base. French Rafale fighter jets from that base were deployed over the weekend to neutralize drones. Paris also has defense agreements with several countries in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, all of which are affected. If those countries request it, Paris could decide to mobilize the military assets it already has in the area.
The war in Iran is not France's war. Paris confirmed this on Wednesday through diplomatic sources, who insisted that the US and Israeli attack on the ayatollahs' regime "is outside international law" and that France does not approve of it. Nevertheless, France has launched defensive operations.
"This war is not ours, but we have responsibilities towards our partners. This crisis contributes to everything that is happening in Ukraine and to the instability in our region. We want to be reliable, predictable and inspire confidence in our partners: in the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf region and the Middle East," diplomatic sources explained.
France has also asked the Netherlands to send the air defense frigate HNLMS Evertsen to support the "Charles de Gaulle" in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Dutch center-right government is currently considering the request, according to a letter sent to parliament by the foreign and defense ministries.
The Evertsen has been participating in an international exercise in the Baltic Sea for the past few weeks, involving 25 ships, 140 aircraft, 1,200 drones and military personnel from 24 countries. The Dutch frigate has approximately 170 defense personnel on board and is one of only four ships of its class equipped to intercept missiles and drones.