EU leaders express solidarity with Gulf countries amid Iranian attacks 

European Union leaders have expressed support for Arab countries in the Gulf as Iran continues to launch missile and drone strikes on targets across the region in response to attacks by the United States and Israel.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and other European leaders held talks with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials on Thursday in Brussels, denouncing what they described as “Iran’s inexcusable attacks against the GCC countries”.

“The Ministers strongly condemned the unjustifiable Iranian attacks against the GCC countries which threaten regional and global security and called on Iran to cease immediately its attacks,” they said in a joint EU-GCC statement.

The statement also reaffirmed that Gulf countries have the right “to take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and protect their territories, citizens and residents”.

Reporting from the Belgian capital, Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said the message coming out of the talks is that Europe “is ready to help” its allies in the Gulf, “but it prefers a solution that can be mediated and inspire de-escalation”.

The meeting came amid mounting concerns over the widening fallout of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which have killed at least 1,230 people since Saturday, according to Iranian state media outlets.

Israel has expanded its military campaign to Lebanon, while the US on Wednesday said it had sunk an Iranian frigate in international waters, killing dozens of people on board.

Iran also continues to fire at countries across the region, including Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, while its strikes have progressively targeted energy infrastructure, raising fears they could affect global energy markets.

European countries have increasingly been drawn into the widening conflict, with France and the United Kingdom on Wednesday announcing plans to send warships and air defence assets to Cyprus.

The move comes after a British Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island was targeted by an Iranian-made drone earlier this week, fuelling alarm.

On Thursday, Italy said it will send “naval assets” to Cyprus in the coming days, along with the Netherlands and Spain.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also told reporters that Italy would provide air defence systems to its Gulf allies to counter Iranian strikes.

Meanwhile, the UK, Greece and Portugal have said they would allow the US military to use their bases under certain conditions as the war continues, while Spain has refused, drawing the ire of US President Donald Trump.