Macron urges renewed nuclear dialogue after Israel's Iran strikes

Macron urges renewed nuclear dialogue after Israel's Iran strikes
by AFP Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) June 13, 2025

France's President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged the US and Iran to resume nuclear talks following a wave of Israeli strikes against Iran.

"Iran bears a heavy responsibility in the destabilisation of the whole region," he said after Western nations in recent days accused Tehran of deliberately escalating its nuclear programme, despite several rounds of US-Iran talks.

"We call for the resumption of dialogue and the reaching of a deal."

US President Donald Trump's Middle East pointman Steve Witkoff had been set to hold a sixth round of talks with Iran on Sunday in Oman.

After Israel's deadly strikes early on Friday, Trump afterwards urged Iran to "make a deal, before there is nothing left", warning of "even more brutal" attacks to come.

Macron, who earlier on Friday defended Israel's right to protect itself, said France could help in the case of an Iranian retaliation against Israel.

"If Israel were to be attacked in retaliation by Iran, France, if in a position to do so, would take part in protection and defence operations," he said.

Macron earlier in the day spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Elysee said, following a spike in diplomatic tensions.

The French presidency said the phone conversation took place but did not provide details.

Relations between Macron and Netanyahu have been strained in recent months over Israel's blockade of Gaza and France's plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

- UN meeting postponed -

France and Saudi Arabia have been planning to co-chair a UN conference on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians next week in New York.

But Macron said on Friday evening that meeting had been postponed.

"While we have to postpone this conference for logistical and security reasons, it will take place as soon as possible," Macron said at a press conference.

Israel pounded Iran in a series of air raids, striking 100 targets including nuclear and military sites, as well as killing the armed forces' chief of staff.

In the aftermath of the strikes, Macron also spoke with leaders including Trump and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Earlier Friday, Macron said Israel had the right to defend itself and ensure its security but also called for de-escalation.

"To avoid jeopardising the stability of the entire region, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate," he said on X.

Macron spoke after convening a meeting of the National Defence and Security Council.

"All necessary steps will be taken to protect our nationals and our diplomatic and military missions in the region," Macron said.

Iran has gradually broken away from its commitments under the nuclear deal it struck with world powers including the United States and France in 2015.

The landmark deal provided Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme, but it fell apart after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States during Trump's first term in 2018.

US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman cancelled
Muscat, Oman (AFP) June 14, 2025 - A sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States planned for this weekend has been cancelled, mediator Oman said Saturday, as Iran and Israel traded massive strikes in their fiercest confrontation yet.

The talks on Iran's nuclear programme began in April, with US President Donald Trump threatening military action if diplomacy failed.

"The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place," Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X.

"Diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace," he added.

A major sticking point in the lead-up to Sunday's now-cancelled meeting had been Iran's enrichment of uranium.

The United States, Israel and other Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an accusation it has categorically denied.

The huge wave of Israeli attacks on Iran's military and nuclear facilities on Friday has cast the future of the talks into doubt.

A US administration official told AFP on condition of anonymity that "while there will be no meeting Sunday, we remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon".

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not attend nuclear talks as long as Israel kept up its attacks.

In a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian said Iran favoured diplomacy, but will not "accept irrational demands under pressure or... sit at the negotiating table while the Zionist regime continues its attacks", according to a readout shared by the Iranian presidency.

Macron said in a post on X that he had asked Pezeshkian to "return swiftly to the negotiating table".

Macron urges Iran president to 'quickly' resume nuclear talks
Paris (AFP) June 14, 2025 - France's President Emmanuel Macron urged his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian to "quickly" resume negotiations over his country's nuclear programme, in talks Saturday as a conflict between Tehran and Israel escalated.

Fresh US-Iranian talks on Tehran's nuclear programme that had been scheduled for Sunday were cancelled after Israel launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and killing top army commanders and atomic scientists.

The unprecedented barrage prompted counter-attacks by Iran, fuelling fears the conflict could escalate.

Macron said in a message on X that he "invited President Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement -- the only viable path to de-escalation".

Iran insists its uranium-enrichment activities are peaceful, but Western allies fear they are aimed at developing atomic weapons.

Given the growing destabilisation in the region, Macron asked that French citizens and its interests in the region not be targeted, he added.

"I also called for the greatest restraint to avoid an escalation," he wrote.

International calls for restraint have multiplied as fears grow that the Middle East could be on the threshold of a broader conflict.