ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday voiced "solidarity" with Qatar, calling for restraint after Iran launched missile attacks at a US airbase in the Gulf country.

"I express France’s solidarity with Qatar, which has been struck by Iran on its own soil. I am in close contact with the country’s authorities and our regional partners," Macron wrote on X.

He urged all parties to exercise the "utmost restraint" to de-escalate, and to return to the negotiating table.

"The spiral of chaos must come to an end," he added.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions following the US targeting of three Iranian nuclear sites in Iran late Sunday.