ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday placed the “primary responsibility” for the ongoing regional war on Tehran, while also subtly criticizing the United States and Israel for launching strikes against Iran “outside international law.”
Macron further urged an immediate return to diplomatic negotiations to halt the violence and highlighted a French-led initiative to form a coalition aimed at securing maritime traffic - vital to the global economy - after Tehran moved to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.
Return to diplomacy
Addressing the French nation, Macron said that Iran “bears primary responsibility” for the escalation, arguing that Tehran has pursued a “dangerous nuclear program” and developed “unprecedented ballistic capabilities.”
He further accused Tehran of arming and financing “terrorist groups” across the region - including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Ansarullah Movement (Houthis) in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and the Palestinian movement Hamas - while “consistently affirming its objective of destroying the State of Israel.”
Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday that killed dozens of senior officials, including Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran vowed retaliation, targeting several regional countries hosting US military bases.
In a subtle critique of Washington and Tel Aviv, Macron also pointed out that the current conflict was triggered by strikes carried out by the US and Israel “outside international law, which we cannot approve,” adding that the violence “is now spreading throughout the region and posing grave consequences for the peace and security of all.”
“Together with Germany and the United Kingdom, we have clearly stated that a swift halt to the strikes is necessary, and that lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through the resumption of diplomatic negotiations,” the French leader the said, hoping that “the Iranian people may themselves freely decide their own destiny.”
Boosting defenses
Since the war began on Saturday and through Tuesday, Iran has launched a massive, multi-front offensive involving over 1,200 drones and nearly 500 ballistic and cruise missiles targeting all six Gulf Cooperation Council states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The strikes have primarily focused on US assets and alleged Israeli command centers, resulting in at least seven civilian deaths and hundreds of injuries across the region.
As a result, Macron said that Paris has strengthened “the security of our military bases in the region,” noting that “two of them were subjected to limited strikes causing material damage,” as well as measures to protect “the security of our embassies and our interests in these countries.”
He emphasized that France stands “alongside our friends and allies in the region for their security and territorial integrity” in a “strictly defensive” capacity. Macron highlighted defense agreements that bind France with Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, along with “strong commitments with Jordan and Iraq, and notably there with our Kurdish allies.”
French forces, he added, “shot down drones in the very first hours of the conflict to defend the airspace of our allies,” without specifying the locations of the interceptions.
Maritime security coalition
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday imposed an effective blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, declaring it “closed” to all maritime traffic. The Strait is a vital artery for global energy, carrying roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and an equal share of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Since the fighting began on Saturday, at least five commercial tankers have been hit by missiles or drones, prompting major shipping companies like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd to halt all transit through the area.
With shipping traffic plunging by more than 90 percent and war-risk insurance premiums soaring, the blockade has also forced Qatar to suspend LNG production, while Brent crude prices edge toward $100 per barrel.
The French president on Tuesday declared that he ordered Paris’ “aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its air assets and frigate escort, to set course for the Mediterranean.”
“We have economic interests to protect, and with oil prices, gas prices, and international trade deeply disrupted by this war, we are taking the initiative to build a coalition,” Macron said. “This coalition will bring together the necessary resources - including military ones - to restore and secure traffic through these maritime routes, which are essential to the global economy.”