Saudi Arabia and Gulf States Prepare Response Following Iranian Missile and Drone Attacks
Iran launched missiles and drones at various targets across the Gulf region following major strikes by the United States and Israel that resulted in the death of Iran’s highest leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A number of Gulf nations have indicated they will take necessary measures to maintain the security and stability of their region.
US President Donald Trump claimed that 48 Iranian leaders were killed in the US and Israeli strikes. Trump described the American military operation against Iran as a success.
“Nobody believes the success we have achieved. Forty-eight leaders have been killed in a single strike. And it happened quickly,” Trump said in an interview with US media outlet Fox News on Monday, 2 March.
Trump claimed overall success in the war, which was launched on Saturday, 28 February local time, with the objective of removing Iranian leadership and destroying its military. According to Trump, the situation following the US-Israeli strikes against Iran was highly positive.
“We did our job not just for us, but for the world. And everything is moving faster than schedule,” Trump said in a separate interview with another US media outlet, CNBC.
“The current situation is developing very positively, very positively,” he stressed.
Saudi Arabia and Gulf States Reach Agreement
Gulf nations have committed to defending themselves against Iranian attacks, including by “retaliating against aggression” if necessary. This came after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held a video conference meeting on Sunday, 1 March local time to formulate a unified response.
Foreign ministers from six GCC nations—Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, all of which experienced Iranian retaliatory strikes—“reviewed the extensive damage caused by dangerous Iranian attacks” and discussed measures to restore stability in the region.
The Gulf nations “will take all necessary measures to maintain their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option to respond to aggression,” according to a joint statement released after the meeting on Monday, 2 March.
The statement also called for “an immediate cessation of these attacks,” and added that stability in “the Gulf region is not merely a regional matter, but a fundamental pillar of global economic stability.”
France Ready to Defend Jordan and Saudi Arabia
The French government stated it is prepared to defend Gulf nations and Jordan against Iran if necessary.
“To allied nations that have been deliberately targeted by missiles and drones from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and drawn into a war they did not choose—Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan—France declares full support and complete solidarity,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Monday, 2 March.
“In accordance with the agreements binding it to its partners and with the principle of collective self-defence provided for in international law, France is ready to take part in their defence,” the French Foreign Minister stated.
According to Barrot, an estimated 400,000 French citizens live or are currently visiting countries in and around the Gulf region.
The governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom previously stated on Sunday, 1 March that they are prepared to defend their interests and those of their allies in the Gulf if necessary.
“Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and threatened our military personnel and civilians throughout the region,” they said in a joint statement.
“We will take measures to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through activating necessary and proportionate defensive measures to neutralise Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones from their source,” they added.