Separate statements from European capitals and Gulf governments suggest several countries may join a coalition to target Iran’s drone and missile launch sites.
The E3 — France, the U.K., and Germany — issued a joint release indicating a willingness to take part in defensive operations after Iranian retaliatory strikes began.
Scope of Iranian attacks
Iran has launched hundreds of drone and missile strikes in the region since U.S. and Israeli military action commenced on Saturday morning.
The attacks have killed at least three American service members and wounded five others.
More than a dozen civilians in Israel and the United Arab Emirates have been killed, and several additional civilians have been wounded since the fighting began.
A French hangar at a military facility in the United Arab Emirates was struck by an Iranian drone on Sunday morning, and the IRGC claimed responsibility for that strike without reporting casualties.
E3 signals openness to offensive action
On Sunday afternoon the E3 released a new statement saying they would consider joining offensive measures to degrade Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones.
The statement, issued by President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reiterated that the three governments have consistently urged Iran to end its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and to cease destabilizing activities.
They said they were appalled by what they called Iran’s reckless, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks that endangered military personnel and civilians, including their own service members and citizens in the region.
After again calling on Iran to stop hostilities, the leaders said they would take steps to defend their interests and those of allies, potentially “through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” and stated they would coordinate with the U.S. and regional partners in this effort, the statement continued.
Gulf reaction
The Gulf States, which have endured nearly 48 hours of Iranian missile and drone bombardment, issued similar warnings on Sunday afternoon.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, together with Jordan and Syria, presented a joint position at a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting.
Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaei said the strikes were a blatant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity and that they threatened the security and stability of the entire region.
The Gulf statement affirmed that the targeted countries reserve their right to self-defense under the U.N. Charter and to respond proportionally to protect their territories, populations, and national interests.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes in the strongest terms as blatant Iranian aggression and said the kingdom stood ready to support measures taken in response.
Following near continuous strikes by Iran against countries across the Middle East, Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have said that they “reserve the right to respond”… pic.twitter.com/0oAhtHFqqM
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 1, 2026
As of this report, Iran has launched multiple barrages of missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli military installations and civilian areas, with impacts and shoot-downs recorded in ten Middle Eastern nations since operations began on Saturday morning.
