Video: Macron rejects military strikes on Iran, cites Iraq, Afghanistan failures
France’s President Emmanuel Macron
Abdullateef Fowewe
French President, Emmanuel Macron has criticised calls for military intervention against Iran during a visit to South Korea, arguing that bombings and operations have repeatedly failed to deliver lasting change.
“Iran is a very bad regime — no discussion about that. I disagree with them on a lot of topics,” Macron said.
He added, “But I don’t believe that we will fix the situation just by bombings or by military operations.”
His remarks come amid the escalating 2026 Iran war, where recent US-Israeli strikes prompted Iran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, choking off a critical artery for global oil shipments and sending energy prices soaring.
Macron pointed to history as a cautionary tale, “Look at what happened with this type of operation in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Libya — we never delivered. Never. Even after 20 years.”
He urged respect for sovereignty over external force.
“So you have to respect the sovereignty of people. If people want to change a regime, they want to react, step up, they can do so,” he said.
France, alongside Russia and China, blocked a UN Security Council resolution pushed by Arab states to authorise military action to reopen the strait, Dailyeconomy reports
