Your account has been succesfully created.

France, Middle East
Macron's planned Gulf tour to focus on defence

LogoSubscribers only By Pierre Gastineau
Updated on 13.10.2026 at 15:20 GMT 2 min read Lire en français

French leader Emmanuel Macron with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, on 16 June 2026 in Évian-les-Bains, France, during the G7 summit.
French leader Emmanuel Macron with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, on 16 June 2026 in Évian-les-Bains, France, during the G7 summit. © Yoan Valat/EPA/MaxPPP

The withdrawal of all its military forces engaged in Iraq means that Paris is now able to redeploy its capacity to the Gulf. High on Macron's agenda are new anti-aircraft defence deployments to support the five Gulf countries he plans to visit next week.

Read also

Sign up for real-time alerts and be notified of new editions!  

Once registered, you will be notified by a short message on your computer or mobile phone as soon as a new edition of our publication or an alert is published. Stay informed anytime, anywhere!