France leads EU bid to mediate Iran-'Israel' escalation amid war
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France prepares a European-led initiative to end the Israeli-provoked war on Iran, with Macron urging an immediate halt to escalating strikes and civilian casualties.
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France's President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks during the presentation of the European Pact for the Oceans at the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, French Riviera, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP)
France is preparing to propose a negotiated solution to end the Israeli war on Iran, working alongside European partners, as announced on Wednesday by President Emmanuel Macron's office.
Following a national security council meeting, Macron directed Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to develop in the coming days an initiative involving close European partners that would offer a rigorous negotiated settlement to resolve the unfolding situation, though no specifics were provided regarding the plan's details.
Since "Israel" carried out extensive air strikes against Iran last Friday, French FM Barrot has maintained frequent contact with his German and British counterparts. Germany, France, and the US participated in negotiations that resulted in the historic 2015 nuclear agreement, where Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief from world powers. Trump pulled the US from the agreement during his first term.
Macron called on "Israel" to cease attacks against Iranian targets unrelated to nuclear facilities or missile programs, with his office expressing "alarm about the rising tensions, as Israeli strikes increasingly target sites unconnected to Iran's nuclear or missile activities, while civilian casualties continue mounting in both Iran and Israel."
The statement emphasized the critical need to immediately halt these military operations due to their substantial risks to stability in the region.
The Élysée further stated that Macron had instructed the Foreign Ministry to implement necessary arrangements for facilitating the departure of French nationals from either "Israel" or Iran upon request, though no additional specifics were provided about these measures.
Regime change in Iran would sow chaos: Macron
During the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 17, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a strong warning against attempts to topple Iran's government, emphasizing that such actions would risk throwing the region into "chaos" while stressing that Western powers pursuing regime change would be committing a "strategic error".
Macron had previously stated to journalists that history shows no successful examples of nations being forcibly "saved" through external military bombardment against their will.
The French leader emphasized how foreign interventions attempting to overthrow established regimes typically result in disastrous consequences, drawing clear parallels with Western miscalculations in places such as Iraq and Libya without directly naming them.
Striking a diplomatic tone, Macron stressed that the United States plays a pivotal role in reviving negotiations with Tehran, telling journalists, "We require America's involvement to reunite all parties at the negotiating table" while indicating the potential for US-mediated de-escalation between Iran and "Israel".
