French President Emmanuel Macron makes a gesture as he gives a speech for "Music Week in France," a day before the "Fête de la Musique," at the Elysée Presidential Palace in Paris, on June 20, 2025. (Credit: Thibaud Moritz/AFP)
Emmanuel Macron spoke Sunday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and urged him to "resume diplomatic discussions" following the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities, according to the Élysée. During this exchange, "the President of the Republic reiterated his call for the immediate release of our two hostages [Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held in Iran], for de-escalation and for the resumption of diplomatic discussions," the Élysée said.
Macron also spoke Sunday with the heads of state of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In a message from his diplomat Jean-Noël Barrot on X, France expressed "concern" following the U.S. strikes, urging "the parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict."
Specifying that it "neither participated in these strikes nor their planning," France stated it is "convinced that a sustainable resolution to this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty." Furthermore, the head of state will convene a defense and national security council on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. France "is doing everything possible to expedite the departure of our nationals who wish to leave Iran and Israel," the president assured.
The United States bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday, joining the offensive launched by Israel on June 13. Iran launched 40 missiles on Israel a few hours later, accusing the United States of "blowing up" the chances of a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear issue.