Macron Slams 'Unacceptable' Targeting of France Amid Middle East Escalation

Macron made the remarks in a post on X after speaking by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

"I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq," he said.

He said France acts strictly within a defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, safeguarding its regional partners and supporting freedom of navigation, adding that he had called on Iran to immediately end the attacks it has carried out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies.

"I reminded him that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners, and freedom of navigation, and that it is unacceptable for our country to be targeted," he said.

Macron also warned that the uncontrolled escalation currently unfolding risks plunging the entire region into chaos, with consequences that could affect not only the present situation but also the years to come.

"The unchecked escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos, with major consequences today and for the years to come. The people of Iran, like those across the region, are paying the price. Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace and security for all. Such a framework must guarantee that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, while also addressing the threats posed by its ballistic missile programme and its destabilising activities regionally and internationally," he said.

He reiterated that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible.

"Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible. I also urged the Iranian President to allow Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to return safely to France as soon as possible. Their ordeal has gone on for far too long, and they belong with their loved ones," he said.

Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday called for the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which about one-fifth of the world's oil consumption passes, Xinhua news agency reported.

- IANS