French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they were 'appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks' launched by Iran in response to the US-Israeli offensive.It took a weekend for European leaders to move past their initial wait-and-see approach to the crisis shaking the Middle East after the Israeli and US attack on Iran. Confronted with a fait accompli, European capitals responded with extreme caution on Saturday, February 28, to the strikes that decapitated Iran's leadership and military command. Paris, Berlin and London said they were committed to "regional stability and to the protection of civilian life," while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa urged "maximum restraint." On Sunday, March 1, European leaders' tone shifted in response to Tehran's regional counteroffensive, increasingly aligning themselves with their transatlantic ally. In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they were "appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks" launched by Iran. They added that they would not stand by idly. In the event of further attacks, "we will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran's capability to fire missiles and drones at their source," they said. You have 75.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only. --- Original source: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/02/europeans-ready-for-defensive-military-actions-in-region-after-iranian-strikes-in-the-gulf_6750996_4.html
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