‘Unacceptable attacks’: French President Macron urges Iran to halt strikes after call with Iranian President Pezeshkian
Paris [France], March 16 (ANI): French President Emmanuel Macron said he urged Iran to end attacks across the Middle East and called for restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz during a phone call with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.
In a post on X following the call, Macron said, "I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian."
I have just spoken with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 15, 2026
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. I reminded him that France…
Macron said he called on Tehran to immediately halt what he described as unacceptable attacks carried out directly or through allied groups in the region.
"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.
The French President also said Paris is acting only to defend its interests and regional partners.
"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 warned that escalating tensions risk destabilising the entire Middle East and harming civilians across the region.
"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," he said.
He added that long-term stability would require a new political and security framework addressing Iran's nuclear program and regional activities.
"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.
Macron also called for restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.
"Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible," he said.
The French president further urged Iran to release two French nationals detained in the country.
"I also urged the Iranian President to allow Cecile 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."
Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its naval forces carried out coordinated missile and drone strikes on four United States airbases at dawn on Sunday (local time), targeting key military infrastructure, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement, the IRGC said the strikes targeted command centres, air traffic control towers and air defence facilities linked to US forces in the region.
"The IRGC Navy at dawn today, in several assault battalions, simultaneously struck four American terrorist airbases with precise and crushing blows," Al Jazeera reported the IRGC as saying, adding that missile and drone units targeted multiple sites associated with US military operations.
The Iranian force also claimed that satellite imagery showed extensive damage to the targeted bases.
"In recent days, according to published satellite images, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have destroyed more than 80 per cent of the strategic radars, key and vital points of the American terrorist bases," the IRGC said. (ANI)
