Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for what he described as a failure to condemn military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran, while raising concerns over Tehran’s retaliation.
The exchange followed comments by Macron calling for restraint after Iran targeted energy infrastructure in Qatar, including facilities at Ras Laffan, part of the world’s largest gas field shared between the two countries.
“It is in our common interest to implement, without delay, a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure,” Macron said in a post on X, referencing discussions with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and US President Donald Trump.
Responding on the same platform, Araghchi accused the French president of overlooking earlier strikes on Iranian targets. He said Macron “has not uttered one word of condemnation of the Israel-US war on Iran”, adding that he had also failed to denounce attacks on fuel storage facilities in Tehran earlier in March. “His current ‘concern’ didn’t follow Israel’s attack on our gas facilities. It follows our retaliation. Sad!” Araghchi said.
The war began after coordinated strikes by Israel and the United States on February 28, escalating into a broader regional conflict that has increasingly focused on energy infrastructure across the Middle East. Iran has repeatedly warned that it would respond to attacks on its facilities by targeting similar assets across the region, raising fears of further escalation and disruption to global energy supplies.