French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris on June 13, 2025. (Credit: Michel Euler/Reuters.)
BEIRUT — Emmanuel Macron hopes for a return to calm "in the next few hours" in Iran and Israel and a resumption of discussions with Iranian leaders on nuclear issues, he declared Sunday during his visit to Greenland.
Israel bombed military sites and fuel depots in Iran on Sunday for the third day of conflict between the two countries, with Tehran responding with missile salvos.
"I hope that the next few hours will bring calm and a path of discussion, to avoid any escalation on nuclear matters, the acquisition of nuclear capabilities in Iran, and to prevent any kind of flare-up in the region," stated Macron.
The French president thus renewed his call for negotiations on the nuclear program, despite the ongoing conflict. "I was able to speak yesterday with the president of Iran, and I called for a discussion between us as soon as possible. This is also what I said during my exchange with President Trump, who shares this vision," the French president said. "We will have the opportunity, in a few hours, to discuss this with the G7 leaders," which takes place from Sunday to Tuesday in Canada, he added.
The United States had engaged in indirect negotiations with Tehran in April about its nuclear program. A new round of negotiations was scheduled for Sunday in Oman to try to reach an agreement regulating the Iranian nuclear program, in exchange for lifting sanctions against Iran. The United States said on Saturday that they hope to continue the negotiations, but Tehran stated that there was "no sense" in maintaining those scheduled for Sunday.