By Andrew Rettman

 

BRUSSELS, 09 March. - (ANA) - The EU has continued its military build-up in the Eastern Mediterranean after Iran threatened to strike any European nations seen helping the US-Israeli attack.

 

Germany said on Sunday (8 March) it was sending a frigate to join French, Dutch, Greek, Italian, and Spanish warships already in or en route to the area, as well as Italian, Greek, and British warplanes and air-defence systems being sent there.

 

French president Emmanuel Macron and Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will also travel to Cyprus on Monday to coordinate defence operations and regional repatriation efforts.

 

The rising tensions saw Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi tell the France 24 broadcaster on Friday: “We have already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran”.

 

“If they help, I’m not trying to name any country, but if any country joins in the aggression against Iran, joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, definitely they will be also legitimate targets for Iranian retaliation,” he said.

 

Iran has already fired at least three drones and two ballistic missiles at a UK military base in Cyprus, while its rockets could also reach south-eastern EU cities and Nato bases in the Western Balkans.

 

And a bomb blast at the US embassy in Oslo on Sunday highlighted fears of Iran-aligned militant cells inside Europe, who might launch asymmetrical assaults.

 

“It’s natural to see this in the context of the current security situation and that ?this could be an attack deliberately targeting the US embassy,” said Norwegian police spokesman Frode Larsen.

 

Greece, Portugal, and the UK have let the US military use their bases, while Spain refused, prompting the White House to threaten Spain with a trade embargo.

 

Meanwhile, Iranian fire killed two civilians in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, while the UAE intercepted 16 missiles and 113 drones the same day, in a show of Tehran’s capabilities.

 

Iran has fired 1,422 drones at the UAE since the US unilaterally started the war on 28 February, 80 of which have gotten through so far to Emirati cities, prompting most tourists to flee Dubai and for Western expats living there to start making evacuation plans.

 

It has also fired 656 missiles and drones at Kuwait, killing five people.

 

“I will fly out if the airports are open, or drive to Riyadh if need be,” an EUobserver contact in Dubai said.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the EU military build-up near Cyprus has prompted Turkey to say it was sending F-16 warplanes to the disputed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, in what could lead to bad will among Nato allies in the Eastern Mediterranean as a side-effect of the Middle East crisis.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/09 March 2026 - - -