French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the country is "ready" to provide protection to the Gulf states and Jordan if necessary.
He emphasized: "France expresses its full support and solidarity with allies who are under attack from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and who have become embroiled in a conflict they did not initiate — namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan."
Barrot added that France is ready to "participate in their defense."
Iran knows exactly what it is doing by targeting Gulf countries
Rob Geisthardt Pinfold, a defense studies lecturer at King's College London, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Iran "knows exactly what it is doing" when it attacks Gulf countries.
According to him, "Iran chooses these countries because it sees them as easy targets. It is easier to attack them than Israel."
"These states are less inclined to engage in warfare, as this is not their conflict. Iran hopes they will seek a quick ceasefire and pressure the Trump administration. However, there are currently no signs of this," he added.
Pinfold noted that while at a rhetorical level the Gulf countries demonstrate "strength" and "unity," there are significant disagreements among them regarding interaction with Iran.
"Some of these countries will insist on using military force, but Iran creates difficulties for them, as any intervention could be perceived as support for a war between the US and Israel," he explained.
"They need to show that they are capable of defending their sovereignty and asserting their interests."
Alarm sirens and missile interceptions across the Gulf amid escalating attacks
The morning in several Gulf cities was tense.
In Doha, we were once again awakened by the sounds of explosions. Around 8 AM local time (05:00 GMT), loud noises indicated the interception of drones or missiles by Patriot air defense systems.
Kuwait also witnessed the crash of an American F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet. Video footage shows the aircraft spinning and falling, leaving a trail of smoke. Both pilots successfully ejected and were seen alive on the ground, where they were assisted by locals.
This occurred a few hours ago, and later another video emerged showing the plane's crash in another part of Kuwait. The country's Ministry of Defense confirmed that several American aircraft crashed in the morning.
At this time, we can confirm at least two incidents, although the video recordings require further verification. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense reported coordination with the US to clarify the circumstances. Search and rescue teams have been deployed, and all pilots have safely ejected.
Additionally, there were reports of smoke coming from the US embassy in Kuwait, where rescue teams were operating. The situation there is developing rapidly.
In Bahrain, attacks were also recorded, and air raid sirens were activated. The country came under fire in response to Iranian retaliation against US and Israeli strikes, all occurring just three days into the conflict.
Saudi Arabia suspends operations at Ras Tanura refinery after drone attack
According to reports from Saudi state television, authorities have closed the Ras Tanura refinery, located near Dammam, following a drone attack.
As previously reported, the Saudi Ministry of Defense indicated that the fire at the facility was caused by debris from two intercepted drones.
Israeli army considers all options for a possible incursion into Lebanon
Israeli army spokesperson Effi Defrin stated that Israel has mobilized around 100,000 reservists, as well as numerous battalions and brigades, prepared for "various courses of action, both defensive and offensive."
"All options are under consideration," he added.
JPMorgan lowers growth forecast for Bahrain and UAE economies excluding oil amid Gulf escalation
The leading global financial institution, JPMorgan, has lowered its growth forecasts for the non-oil economies of Gulf countries this year following the escalation of conflict with Iran over the past weekend, warning of further downgrades.
The bank reduced its regional growth forecast by 0.3 percentage points, with the most significant declines observed in Bahrain and the UAE — by 0.5 and 0.4 percentage points, respectively.
"Risks have increased in many directions and will largely depend on the outcome of the conflict," noted JPMorgan analysts.
The bank also stated that it does not expect the Central Bank of Turkey to lower interest rates at its meeting on March 12, and revised its end-2026 rate forecast from 30% to 31%, expecting inflation to reach 25% by that time, compared to a previous forecast of 24%.
"Given Israel's active involvement in the current conflict, it is likely that the Bank of Israel will not lower the interest rate in March," JPMorgan added.
Death toll in Iran exceeds 550, reports Red Crescent
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, at least 555 people have died as a result of US and Israeli strikes on the country.
Further information will be provided shortly.
Disruptions in Amazon cloud services in Bahrain and UAE
Amazon's cloud computing division (AWS) reported power outages and connectivity issues in its data centers in Bahrain and the UAE amid Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Power outages occurred in two zones of Amazon's cloud division in the UAE, the company reported on its network status page.
AWS noted that one of the zones in the UAE was affected after "objects" struck the data center, causing sparks and a fire, which led to the power outage.
The company urged customers to use its services in other regions and added that restoration is expected within "a few hours."
The record of France being "ready" to protect the Gulf states and Jordan from Iran. What else happened? first appeared on K-News.
