BEIRUT — French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot issued a critical appeal for restraint to Iranian-supported factions across the Middle East during his diplomatic tour through the region on Friday. Speaking in Beirut following high-level meetings with Lebanese officials, Barrot emphasized that Tehran-aligned groups must demonstrate “the greatest restraint” should regional tensions between Iran and the United States escalate further.
The minister’s warning comes amid delicate indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran in Oman regarding Iran’s nuclear program, with simultaneous concerns mounting about potential regional conflict. Barrot explicitly cautioned that military escalation “would profoundly destabilize the Near and Middle East” and represents a risk that must be avoided “at all cost.”
Barrot’s regional diplomacy included prior stops in Syria and Iraq, reflecting France’s active engagement in Middle Eastern stability efforts. The French official concurrently addressed Lebanon’s complex security situation, discussing ongoing initiatives to disarm Hezbollah and plans for an upcoming international conference in France to support the Lebanese armed forces.
The support conference, co-organized with the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, aims to bolster Lebanon’s military capabilities as it expands its presence along the southern border with Israel following 14 months of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. This development occurs against the backdrop of Lebanon’s severe economic crisis that has significantly weakened state institutions, including the military.
France maintains that regional stability serves the interests of all parties involved, including European nations with significant strategic interests in the area. Barrot’s statements reflect growing international concern about potential chain-reaction conflicts involving Iranian proxies in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon should U.S.-Iran tensions worsen.