France is "ready" to defend Gulf countries and Jordan against Iran if necessary, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Monday.
"To allied countries that have been deliberately targeted by the missiles and drones of the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards and dragged into a war they did not choose -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan -- France expresses its full support and complete solidarity," he said. "It stands ready... to take part in their defence."
France, Germany and the United Kingdom said Sunday they were ready to defend their interests and those of their allies in the Gulf if needed.
Australia said on Monday it would not take part in any military operations in Iran, ruling out deploying troops to the Middle East if the conflict escalates, as Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Iran responded with more missile attacks.
"Australia is not central to the issues in the Middle East. We didn't participate in these strikes and we wouldn't anticipate participating in the future," Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told Channel Nine on Monday.
Wong said the Australian government was in discussions with airlines to help Australians stranded in the Middle East but acknowledged that evacuation plans would be difficult while airspace across much of the region remained closed.
"We understand how distressing and challenging this time is, and we will do all that we can to provide you with information and to support you. The situation is very challenging," Wong earlier told reporters in Canberra.
About 115,000 Australians were in the region and the most viable option to get them home would be when commercial airlines resumed services, Wong said. She declined to say whether the government was planning repatriation flights.
"There is conflict in the region, we've seen loss of life across the region and airspace is not open. So whether or not it is an Australian flight or a commercial flight, the flights are not able to occur," Wong said.
Air travel to the Middle East, a major travel hub toward Asia and Europe for Australians, remained disrupted on Monday with Etihad and Emirates cancelling some flights from Australia.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government had taken measures for the safety of about 100 Australian defence personnel based at the Al Minhad Air Base near Dubai, which is used to support UN missions.
(AFP and Reuters)
