Macron Convenes Defense Council on Iran; Charles de Gaulle Deployed; French Interests Targeted

President Macron convened a national defense and security council on March 17 to assess the Iran crisis. France maintains a "purely defensive" posture but has deployed the carrier Charles de Gaulle alongside Dutch, Greek, and Italian naval assets to protect Cyprus. France, UK, and Germany signaled readiness for "proportionate defensive actions" to degrade Iran's strike capability. The council met days after Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion became the first European soldier killed in the Iran war, struck by an Iranian Shahed drone in Erbil, Iraq on March 13.