Macron condemns attacks on France, demands safe return of detained citizens from Iran

Middle East 16-03-2026 | 11:40

Macron condemns attacks on France, demands safe return of detained citizens from Iran

French President Emmanuel Macron warns against targeting France amid Middle East tensions and urges Tehran to release Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris after a prolonged detention. 
Macron condemns attacks on France, demands safe return of detained citizens from Iran
The French president Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)
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French President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian that any “targeting” of France amid the regional escalation linked to the war involving Iran is “unacceptable,” and he demanded the prompt return of two French citizens detained in the Islamic Republic.

 

 

Macron wrote on Platform X after a French soldier was killed in Iraq: “I reminded him that France intervenes purely in self-defense to protect its interests, support regional partners, and ensure freedom of navigation, and that targeting our country is unacceptable.”

 

 

The French president Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)
The French president Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)

 

He added, “I also asked the Iranian president to allow Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to return safely to France as soon as possible. Their ordeal has gone on for too long, and they belong with their families.”