French President Emmanuel Macron said that he needs the US to bring everyone back to the negotiating table in the Iran-Israel conflict, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
The French president added that regime change in Iran through war would be synonymous with chaos in that country. This statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said that the US knows exactly where Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, but does not intend to kill him for the time being.
In response to a question from journalists about the criticism that US President Donald Trump directed at him yesterday evening in relation to Iran, Macron said that Trump had primarily talked about a ceasefire. He described as "peripetias" Trump's criticism of him and said he was not bothered by it.
Last night, Trump said that Macron never understands anything. He said this apparently annoyed that Macron was speaking on his behalf about his plans to resolve the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Macron said yesterday that Trump had left the G-7 summit early as part of efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. But Trump said he was wrong and that his early departure had nothing to do with the ceasefire, Reuters recalls.
Trump then demanded that Iran surrender unconditionally and warned that US patience was running out.
Now, Macron said that Trump appeared to have changed his mind since meeting with G-7 leaders yesterday in Canada. Macron said Trump told him yesterday that he was working to achieve a ceasefire.
"We do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons. But the biggest mistake would be to use military strikes to change the regime, because that would create chaos and our responsibility is to return to discussions as soon as possible to be able to set a course on nuclear and ballistic issues.
Macron said that Iran's nuclear program must be put back under international supervision and Iran's ballistic missile arsenal reduced. But Macron added that he was firmly against attacks on energy infrastructure and civilians, as well as military action that would lead to regime change.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could suffer the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled by a US-led invasion in 2003 and hanged after a trial in 2006.
“Does anyone think that what happened in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think that what happened in Libya a decade ago was a good idea? No,“ Macron said.
“I am also thinking of our friends in the region, in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. We need to help them reduce everything that really threatens their security, but they don't need chaos," Macron said.
His comments contrasted with those of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said Israel was doing the dirty work for its Western allies and could do it without U.S. support.
Israel has dealt a major blow to Iran's nuclear program, but without U.S. firepower it is unlikely to be able to destroy Fordow, a plant deep in the mountains where Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent, close to the 90 percent needed for weapons, Reuters noted.
"The Israeli army is clearly not capable of doing this. It doesn't have the necessary weapons. But the Americans have them," Merz said in an interview with the TV channel CET DF.
Emmanuel Macron criticized the cynicism of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev, carried out the night before, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
“This new salvo by the Russian army showed the full cynicism of President Putin, who is using the international context to intensify attacks on civilians“, Macron said in Kakanaskis, where he participated in the G7 summit, which also included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.