The remarks made on Monday by Emmanuel Macron to the French ambassadors gathered at the Elysée continue to provoke reactions abroad. After Chad and Senegal, who were outraged by his statements on Africa, it was Iran which denounced “unfounded” accusations this Wednesday, January 8, while the French president described the country as ” main strategic and security challenge” in the Middle East.
Emmanuel Macron’s comments are “unfounded, contradictory and speculative”, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. He called on France to “reconsider its non-constructive approaches to peace and stability” in the region, and also deemed the French leader’s statements on the Iranian nuclear program “disappointing”. This program is “peaceful and falls within the framework of international law,” said Esmaeil Baqaei.
“Iran is the main strategic and security challenge for France, the Europeans, the entire region and well beyond,” declared Emmanuel Macron before the French ambassadors. “The acceleration of its nuclear program brings us very close to the breaking point,” he continued, indicating that Iran will be a priority issue in the dialogue he will engage with future US President Donald Trump.
Iranian involvement in Ukraine singled out
Emmanuel Macron also denounced Tehran’s involvement “in Russia’s war against Ukraine”, its “support for dangerous groups on all areas of confrontation in the Middle East” or even “its attempts to deploy in Africa “. “In this context, the Iranian question is undoubtedly one of the main ones on which we will re-engage in dialogue with the new American administration,” he concluded.
Iran has always denied having any intention of developing atomic weapons. But it is the only state not equipped with nuclear weapons to possess uranium enriched to 60%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This level of enrichment is close to the 90% necessary to make an atomic bomb.
Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program skyrocketed during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, when the United States withdrew from a historic 2015 deal that offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for of a limitation of its nuclear ambitions. Iran adhered to the deal until Washington withdrew in 2018, then began reneging on its commitments. He is due to hold nuclear negotiations with France, the United Kingdom and Germany on January 13 in Switzerland, less than two months after discreetly speaking with representatives of these three countries in Geneva.