French President Emmanuel Macron announced his intention to accelerate negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program following a phone conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Macron shared the news on social media platform X on Saturday.
The French leader stated that during the conversation with Pezeshkian, he reiterated his demand for the release of French citizens Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris by Iran.
“Their inhumane detention is unjust. I expect their return to France,” Macron wrote. He also emphasized that Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons and must provide full assurances that its intentions are peaceful.
Macron added that he sees a possibility to avoid further escalation. To that end, he said, France, along with its European partners, will speed up ongoing talks with Iran. “I am convinced that there is a path to end the war and avoid greater dangers. For this, we will accelerate the negotiations initiated by France and its European partners with Iran,” the French president stated.
For context, on June 20, during talks with Iran in Geneva, the foreign ministers of France, the UK, and Germany urged Tehran to resume negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program as soon as possible.
Iran, in turn, stated it would only return to “diplomatic measures” regarding its nuclear program once Israeli strikes cease.
It is also worth noting that U.S. President Donald Trump gave “two weeks” for a decision on whether the United States would join Israeli attacks on Iran.
