France will act in a “strictly defensive” manner with military assets deployed to Saudi Arabia

France will act in a “strictly defensive” manner with military assets deployed to Saudi Arabia amid the war with Iran, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday.“Since the beginning of the war in Iran, we have deployed military assets to protect our allies and our partners,” Barrot said on France Inter. He described the deployment as “strictly defensive.”French President Emmanuel Macron said last Thursday that France would send troops, radar and defense systems to protect Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port city of Yanbu after the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.“These capabilities will depend on the precise request made by the partner,” Barrot said, as well as “our own capabilities and how the situation develops.”Barrot said the deployment was intended to protect the Saudi oil export route through Yanbu so “we can ease the pressure on prices.” He said, “The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is not closed,” despite reduced traffic.