Paris – With clear words but a diplomatic tone, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has commented on the recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. In a statement shared on social media on Sunday, Barrot made it clear that France is observing the attacks with growing concern - and that it had no involvement whatsoever. “France has learned with concern of the US military strikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran,” the minister wrote. He emphasized that France was neither involved in the execution nor in the planning of the attacks. The wording is precise, the tone reserved - and yet every sentence carries a deep diplomatic unease about what is brewing in the Middle East.
France is calling on all parties to show “restraint” - in the hope that the escalation does not turn into a conflagration reaching far beyond the region. The concern in Paris is not unfounded: in a time when the international order appears more fragile than ever, further provocations or retaliatory strikes could quickly spiral out of control. Barrot’s appeal is an attempt to preserve what little space for diplomacy remains.
At the same time, the foreign minister reiterated France’s fundamental position toward Tehran: Iranian access to nuclear weapons is unacceptable. But instead of military force, Paris relies on the international treaty banning the spread of nuclear weapons - the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). “France is convinced that a lasting solution to this issue is only possible within the framework of a negotiated agreement,” Barrot stated. France is ready to contribute to this effort together with its partners. These are words that hope for a world in which diplomatic solutions are still possible - even as that world burns at the edges.
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