French President Emmanuel Macron urged his new Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday to not support Russia's "war of aggression" against Ukraine, in talks between the two leaders, his office said.
Macron also told Pezeshkian that "all must be done to avoid a military escalation" between Israel and Lebanon after a deadly rocket strike in the Golan Heights blamed on Tehran-backed Hezbollah, calling on Iran to "cease its support of destabilizing actors" in the Middle East.
The French leader asked Iran to call for restraint, saying that a new war would have "devastating consequences for the region," which is already on edge as a result of Israel's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Congratulating Pezeshkian for the reformist candidate's election victory on July 5, Macron nonetheless underscored the "necessary" need for "real change" in the country.
He also called on the Iranian president "to put an end to the worrying escalation of Iran's nuclear program,” pleading for a diplomatic solution.
Macron also demanded the immediate release of three French nationals who "have been unjustly held hostage in Iranian prisons for two years."
He said Iran letting them go was "an unavoidable requirement and a prerequisite for improving" relations between Paris and Tehran.
