Macron and Putin Hold First Call in Three Years to Discuss Iran Crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Tuesday for the first time in three years, in an effort to de-escalate the worsening crisis over Iran’s nuclear programme. According to The Guardian (2 July 2025), Macron had avoided speaking to Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, Paris has realized that total diplomatic silence was not helping and was leaving important regional crises at the mercy of Putin’s relationship with Donald Trump.
This call came as Iran announced it would end all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), including banning inspectors from nuclear sites. Iran justified its decision by citing the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Iran sees as a blatant breach of international law.
After their two-hour call, the French side said Macron felt slightly more hopeful that Russia could pressure Iran to resume cooperation with the IAEA. France is even ready to discuss Iran’s demand for the right to enrich uranium domestically, though it insists Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, Germany called Iran’s move to suspend IAEA cooperation a “disastrous signal” and stressed that working with the IAEA is essential for a diplomatic solution.
The Kremlin’s official statement echoed the importance of Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology while emphasizing that all regional disputes should be resolved by political and diplomatic means. Both leaders agreed to keep in contact and coordinate further if necessary.
Iran’s parliament had already passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, which was approved by the guardian council and ratified by President Masoud Pezeshkian. According to Iranian state media, the law is now in force.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking to Le Monde, urged Iran to cooperate with the IAEA but also condemned Israel’s strikes as unlawful. He warned that Europe itself is within range of Iranian missiles, underlining the grave security risk.
On top of the nuclear issue, France also pushed for renewed talks on the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, stressing the urgency of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of avoiding a permanent state of war.
Meanwhile, according to analysis by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Iran fired around 530 ballistic missiles at Israel during the recent 12-day conflict. Most missiles landed in open areas; 36 hit built-up zones, and Israel intercepted the rest using missile defense systems at a high financial cost.
France is clearly alarmed — not only by Iran’s nuclear steps but also by the broader risk to European and Middle Eastern security. Macron’s decision to reopen dialogue with Putin shows Paris is deeply afraid that lack of diplomacy could push the region even closer to large-scale conflict and proliferation.
Source: Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, 2 July 2025.
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