French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that the country is ready to provide protection to the Gulf states and Jordan if necessary.
He noted that "France is full of support and solidarity with allies who have been subjected to missile and drone attacks from Iran," listing Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan, which have been drawn into the conflict without choosing it.
"France is ready to actively participate in their defense," the minister added.
Iran is aware of its actions, targeting Gulf states.
Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in defense studies at King's College London, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera that Iran "is aware of its actions" when it attacks states in the Gulf.
"Iran chooses these countries because it sees them as easy targets. It is easier to attack them than Israel," he explained.
"These states do not seek war, as ultimately, this is not their conflict. Iran hopes that they will want to reach a ceasefire as quickly as possible and will pressure the Trump administration, but there are currently no signs of that," he added.
According to Pinfold, at a rhetorical level, Gulf states demonstrate "strength" and "unity."
"They want to show that they are united and resilient, but in reality, there are serious disagreements among them regarding the approach to Iran and the need to engage with it," he noted.
"Some Gulf states may insist on military intervention, but Iran understands that it puts them in a difficult position, as intervention could be perceived as support for a war between the US and Israel. Thus, the possibilities for compromises that key states sought are diminishing," he concluded.
"They need to show that they are capable of defending their sovereignty and asserting their interests."
Tension is once again felt across the Gulf with missile interceptions and air raid sirens.
This morning in several Gulf cities was once again alarming.
In Doha, residents woke up to the sounds of explosions. Around 8 AM local time (05:00 GMT), loud noises characteristic of intercepting drones and missiles by Patriot air defense systems were heard.
In Kuwait, an American F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet crashed. Video showed the aircraft spinning in the air and falling, its tail on fire, with a plume of smoke trailing behind. In another video, two pilots can be seen successfully ejecting and later appearing on the ground with the help of local residents.
These events occurred a few hours ago. There is also video that appears to capture another crash in Kuwait. The country's Ministry of Defense confirmed that several incidents involving American aircraft occurred this morning.
Currently, at least two separate cases have been confirmed, but the videos need further verification. The information corresponds with reports from the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense about coordination with the US to clarify the circumstances of the incidents. Search and rescue teams have been deployed, and all pilots involved in the incidents were able to successfully eject.
Additionally, there have been reports of smoke visible from the US embassy in Kuwait, and videos show rescue teams working on the scene; the situation there remains dynamic.
In Bahrain, air raid sirens were also heard, and attacks were recorded. The country has been under fire since Iran began retaliatory actions against US and Israeli strikes, and this is happening just on the third day of the conflict.
After a drone attack, Saudi Arabia closed the oil refinery in Ras Tanura.
Saudi state television reports the temporary closure of the oil refinery in Ras Tanura, located near Dammam, following a drone attack.
Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Defense reported that a fire at the facility was caused by debris from two intercepted drones.
Israel is considering all options for a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Israeli army spokesman Effi Defrin stated that Israel has mobilized about 100,000 reservists, as well as dozens of battalions and divisions, ready for "all possible actions, both defensive and offensive."
"All options are being considered," he noted.
JPMorgan lowers growth forecast for Bahrain and UAE economies excluding the oil sector amid escalating tensions.
The major American bank JPMorgan has lowered its growth forecast for non-oil Gulf economies in light of this, warning of the possibility of further declines.
The bank reduced the forecast by 0.3 percentage points across the region, with the largest declines recorded in Bahrain and the UAE—by 0.5 and 0.4 percentage points, respectively.
"Risks have significantly increased and will depend on the outcome of the conflict," JPMorgan analysts noted.
The bank also stated that it no longer expects the Central Bank of Turkey to lower interest rates at the meeting on March 12, changing its forecast for rates at the end of 2026 from 30 to 31 percent, expecting inflation to be 25 percent by then, instead of 24 percent.
"Given Israel's active involvement in the current conflict, it can be assumed that the Bank of Israel will not lower interest rates in March," JPMorgan added.
According to the Red Crescent, the death toll in Iran has exceeded 550 people.
The Iranian Red Crescent reports that at least 555 people have died as a result of US and Israeli strikes on the country.
Further details will be provided later.
Amazon's cloud services in Bahrain and the UAE are disrupted.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported power outages and connectivity issues in its data centers in Bahrain and the UAE amid escalating conflict.
Power outages occurred in two zones of Amazon's cloud division in the UAE, as the company reported on its network status page.
One of the zones in the UAE was affected after "objects" struck the data center, causing sparks and a fire, resulting in a power outage.
The company urged customers to use its services in other regions, stating that recovery would take "several hours."
Information that France is "ready" to protect the Gulf states and Jordan from Iran, as well as other events, was first published on the K-News website.
