France signs weapons mega-deal with UAE as Macron tours Gulf

France announced multibillion-euro deals to sell fighter planes and combat helicopters to the United Arab Emirates, aiming to boost military cooperation with its top ally in the Persian Gulf amid their shared concerns about Iran. The UAE is buying 80 upgraded Rafale warplanes, worth 16 billion euros ($18 billion), and 12 Airbus-built combat helicopters. Consequently, in a context of JCPOA revival and the Yemen civil war, whose outcomes may directly impact energy supply, France and the UAE will depend on stabilizing markets – even more with Russia at the doors of Ukraine.