Macron contradicts Trump on regime change in Iran
French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out against attempting regime change in Iran, contradicting his US counterpart, Donald Trump, who has recently toughened his rhetoric regarding Tehran.
Trump made a thinly veiled threat against Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that “we know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
The US president also demanded Tehran’s “unconditional surrender” in the conflict with Israel, which attacked Iran on Friday with the stated goal of preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied that it is seeking to do so, insisting that its nuclear program is purely peaceful.
Speaking on the same day, Macron stressed that he also does not want Iran to possess nuclear weapons, but warned that “the biggest error would be to use military strikes to change the regime because it would then be chaos.”
“Does anyone think that what was done in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think that what was done in Libya the next decade [in 2011] was a good idea? No!” he said, referring to the turmoil that began in the two countries after Western interventions led to the removal of long-time leaders Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi.
The French president went on to say that he is “also thinking of our friends in the region, in Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere. We must help them reduce everything that, indeed, threatens their security, but they need anything but chaos.”
“Our responsibility is to return discussions as quickly as possible to be able to set a course again on the nuclear and ballistic question,” he stated, adding that Iran’s nuclear program should once again be placed under international supervision and its ballistic missile arsenal reduced.
Trump lashed out at Macron earlier on Tuesday after the French president said he was leaving the G7 summit in Canada early in order to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, insisting that his plans are “much BIGGER than that.” The US leader added that “whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong.”
