Macron Talks With Iranian President, Sees Path To End Fighting

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that he intends to press ahead with efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Iran-Israel conflict, following a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The French president said he expressed his “deep concern” about Iran’s nuclear program during the call, which Pezeshkian had initiated. I Photo: Mutualité Française Flickr

“I am convinced that a path exists to end war and avoid even greater dangers,” Macron wrote on X, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) reported.

“To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran.” The French president said he expressed his “deep concern” about Iran’s nuclear program during the call, which Pezeshkian had initiated.

“Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,” he wrote. Iran initially made no comment on the conversation.

One week after the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—along with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas—met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva to discuss the possibility of Iranian concessions.

While the meeting did not produce concrete results, the European ministers expressed hope for further talks.