Macron Warns Regime Change in Islamist Iran Could Cause ‘Chaos’ Amid Concerns of Terror Attacks in Europe
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that regime change in Iran could lead to “chaos”, as officials in France and Germany expressed concerns over potential Tehran-linked terror attacks in Europe amid the Middle East conflict.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday, President Macron said that France would oppose any “military actions” that would lead to the toppling of the Islamist regime in Iran amid the conflict with Israel.
“The biggest mistake today is to seek military change in Iran, because that will be chaos,” Macron said, according to Le Figaro.
“Does anyone think that what was done in 2003 in Iraq… what was done in Libya the previous decade was a good idea? No!” he declared.
The French leader said that “because no one knows what comes next,” Paris is not in favour of any military strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, on civilian populations, or any “military actions that would lead to regime change”.
Macron went on to call for U.S. President Donald Trump to “bring everyone back to the negotiating table” and resolve the conflict between Jerusalem and Tehran.
The French president’s comments come after a public spat with President Trump this week. The American leader blasted his counterpart for “publicity seeking” after Macron claimed that he had cut his G7 trip short to seek a ceasefire in the Middle East.
“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, there are concerns have been expressed that the war between Israel and Iran may spill over into increasingly multicultural nations of Western Europe.
On Tuesday, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned that his country faces a threat from the internal “Islamist movement” in France being motivated by the events in Iran to carry out an attack.
Retailleau also warned that there are threats “coming directly from the Mullah regime,” claiming that Paris has previously foiled Iranian-sponsored terror attack attempts in 2018 and 2021.
The interior minister said that Iran often attempts to use “henchmen linked to organised crime and drug trafficking in France,” who may not even know who they are acting for. Retailleau said that French intelligence services are currently surveilling a “few individuals in particular” and must remain vigilant in the coming days.
Concerns have also been raised in neighbouring Germany by Social Democrat MP Sebastian Fiedler, who told the Stern magazine that the Islamist regime may attempt to use an exodus of refugees to sneak its agents into Europe.
“If people want to seek protection here in Germany, we will also have to pay attention to our safety, especially among male refugees,” Fiedler said. “We must under no circumstances allow the Iranian regime, especially the Revolutionary Guards, to exploit the plight of refugees to infiltrate their own people here.”
