A European-led maritime mission to monitor Gulf waters will be stationed at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi, the French defence minister said Sunday, amid regional tensions with Iran.

Since May, tensions in the Gulf have escalated following a string of attacks on oil tankers that the United States and its allies blamed on Tehran. The Islamic republic denies the charges.

Iran, however, admitted to shooting down a US drone in June for allegedly flying over its territorial waters. Washington insisted the aircraft was in international airspace.

"We formally agreed that the command centre of the European maritime surveillance initiative will be on UAE territory," French Defence Minister Florence Parly told AFP.

It will be run by around 10 to 15 staff members deployed at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi who will "contribute to making maritime navigation in the Gulf as safe as possible", she said on a visit to the base.