Macron Seeks to Quell Iran Furor, Avoids Taking Sides With Saudi

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron sought to quell a mounting dispute with Iran, vowing not take sides in a regional conflict between the Shiite country and its Sunni rival Saudi Arabia.

“We want an Iran that is a less aggressive power and for its ballistic missile program to be curtailed. But Iran is a regional power and we speak to them,” he said at a press conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. “The French line is to work for peace and not choose one side or the other. There are those who would like western countries to take sides between Shia and Sunni. We refuse. The role of France is to speak to everyone.”

The 39-year-old president’s remarks come after Iran accused France of being “one-sided” and following French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s criticism of the country’s regional policy, calling it a show of “hegemonic desire.” Le Drian made the comments at a press conference in Ryiadh, sitting next to his Saudi counterpart.

A few hours later, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi fired back. “Unfortunately, it seems like France has a one-sided and biased view towards the ongoing crises and humanitarian catastrophes in the Middle East,” he said according to remarks carried by state-run Press TV late Thursday. “This view fuels regional conflicts, whether intentionally or not,” he added.

Tensions between the two countries have risen in recent weeks.

Nuclear Deal

France sought to normalize relations with Iran after the 2015 nuclear deal. It has, however, been taking a harder stance on matters beyond the deal, including Iran’s missile program and its regional role.

Iran has been counting on European support to counterbalance U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on the nuclear accord and is worried about the erosion of that backing. After Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week, Iran has said it wanted him to take a clearer stance and to “gauge Middle East developments with more awareness.”

France is pushing for Western powers, including the U.S., to work together to “contain Iran” and its disruptive engagements from Afghanistan to Lebanon, a senior French official said Friday in Paris, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

France maintains that this effort should be kept separate from the nuclear accord struck with Iran in 2015.

Infuriating Iran

France blowing hot and cold has angered Iran. 

Le Drian’s sharp comments came just days after Macron said during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that he wants to protect the Iranian nuclear accord and reiterated his plan to be the first French leader to visit Iran in 42 years.

France doesn’t see its stance as contradictory.

In an October meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano, Macron asked the agency to pursue a “strict implementation’ of the JCPOA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, otherwise known as the nuclear accord with Iran.

That doesn’t mean that it supports Iran’s regional ambitions, the French official said, declining to be named. France is speaking with its U.S. counterparts to preserve the accord but is also asking U.S. authorities to join efforts to contain Iran in the region, saying “right now no one is balancing Iran.”

Iran’s policies are also unsettling for Saudi Arabia, which the official said “feels alone” in the face of its Persian Gulf neighbor.

Macron’s agenda over the next few months won’t make the French position any clearer to Iran. While he said he will visit the country next year, no date has been set. His foreign minister may be going to there by the end of the year. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be visiting France early next year, Macron said.

--With assistance from Ladane Nasseri

To contact the reporters on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net, Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Vidya Root, Mark Deen

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