France, Germany, UK join US as conflict in West Asia escalates, warn Iran to 'stop reckless attacks immediately'

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have signalled their readiness to coordinate with the United States and Middle East allies on potential strikes aimed at dismantling Iran’s missile and drone launch capabilities.

In a joint statement posted on March 1, the three European leaders condemned Tehran’s recent military actions and warned of possible defensive measures.

“The Leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom are appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks launched by Iran against countries in the region, including those who were not involved in initial US and Israeli military operations. Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and are threatening our service personnel and our civilians across the region. We call on Iran to stop these reckless attacks immediately.”

They added that further steps were under consideration.

“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. We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.”

The statement comes as tensions continue to escalate following coordinated US-Israel strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury. The US military said it has decimated the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attack targeted a compound in Tehran where senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had gathered. US President Donald Trump later announced that Khamenei had died in the strike.

Iranian authorities said more than 200 people have been killed since the launch of Operation Epic Fury.

As the confrontation widens, the World Health Organization called on all parties to ensure civilian lives are protected, urging the “absolute protection of all civilians.” Iranian state television was taken off air after one of its transmitters was hit in a strike.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to assess the implications of the conflict. The meeting was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Separately, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to states advising them to remain alert against potential violence linked to the Iran war and the death of Khamenei.

With European powers now aligning more openly with Washington, the conflict appears set to widen diplomatically and militarily across multiple theatres.