France’s defense minister criticized the U.S. on Saturday over what she described as “unanswered” attacks in recent months threatening the Persian Gulf, warning that the decades-long
American deterrence in the oil-rich region appeared to be losing its power. Florence Parly separately said
France “deplored” both U.S. President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal of America from Iran’s 2015
nuclear deal with world powers that led to the re-imposition of crushing
sanctions, as well as Tehran recently breaking the deal’s enrichment, stockpile and centrifuge limits. While saying France would continue to talk to
Iran, her speech before the annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain struck a muscular tone for
Paris, which maintains a naval base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.