Macron condemns renewed Iranian Strikes on UAE, calls for security guarantees in Gulf

Europe-Asia, Middle East

PARIS, France (NPA) — President Emmanuel Macron of France has condemned the resumption of missile attacks reportedly carried out by Iran against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following UAE claims that its military intercepted incoming projectiles launched from Iranian positions.

Macron said strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in the Gulf state were “unjustified and unacceptable,” warning that such actions risk further destabilising an already fragile regional security environment.

“As it has done since the start of the conflict, France will continue to support its allies in the Emirates and in the region for the defence of their territory,” he said.

The French President stressed that any durable resolution to the crisis would require the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to unrestricted maritime traffic, alongside a comprehensive security agreement addressing regional threats.

He said such a framework must include firm guarantees against what he described as Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile activities, and wider regional destabilisation.

The renewed hostilities come amid heightened tensions following a United States initiative dubbed “Project Freedom,” announced by former President Donald Trump, aimed at deploying U.S. naval assets to secure safe passage for commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway.

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, speaking jointly to reporters, today, described the operation as a humanitarian mission designed to protect neutral shipping interests in the region.

Hegseth clarified that the renewed reports of Iranian missile activity in the Gulf did not signal the collapse of ongoing ceasefire arrangements, adding that diplomatic engagements were still underway to de-escalate tensions and bring an end to the conflict.