French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced Iran’s nuclear program as “rushed” after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in Paris to push for a tougher European stance against Tehran.
In a statement released after a dinner meeting at the Elysee Palace, Macron warned that Tehran’s continuation of its atomic project “will certainly have consequences”.
Both leaders discussed ways to counter the “Iranian nuclear threat” and Netanyahu stressed the need for “prevention against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East”, the Israeli Embassy said.
Israel has long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons but Tehran insists its nuclear program is aimed only at producing energy.
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Netanyahu hopes Iran’s role in supplying drones to Russian invaders in Ukraine, as well as its crackdown on protests at home, will prompt Western allies to drop their bid to revive the 2015 nuclear program deal.
The prime minister has also said that Israel is considering sending military aid to Ukraine, apparently releasing its neutral stance over the conflict in the hope of securing a more confrontational Western position towards Tehran.
– ‘Play the Ukrainian card’ –
By “playing the Ukraine card”, Netanyahu hopes to “consolidate the anti-Iranian front” with the West, said David Khalfa at the Fondation Jean Jaures, a Paris-based think tank.
They hope to “increase sanctions on Iran and add the Revolutionary Guard to the list” of sanctioned entities, a move France and Germany have so far opposed, Khalfa added.
During the meeting with Macron, Netanyahu called for “substantial sanctions to be imposed on the Iranian regime and asked for the Revolutionary Guards to be added to the European Union’s terror list”, the Israeli Embassy said.
France agreed that “firmness” was needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source told AFP earlier, saying its nuclear program had reached a “dangerous point” and highlighting Tehran’s role in the Ukraine war.
Siding with Ukraine is not without risk for Netanyahu, as Russian air defenses in neighboring Syria can be turned against Israeli aircraft when occasional attacks on Iranian interests occur.
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Iran also holds several foreign nationals who are considered political hostages by Western governments.
Netanyahu’s visit comes after a weekend drone attack on a defense ministry facility in the Iranian city of Isfahan, which Tehran blamed on Israel.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed officials, said the attack was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, although this has not been confirmed by Israel.
– Voltage rises –
Netanyahu’s visit comes as violence intensified between Israel and the Palestinians with Israeli warplanes striking the Gaza Strip early Thursday, drawing Palestinian rocket fire in retaliation.
Late Friday, Palestinian gunmen shot dead seven people outside a synagogue in an Israeli settlement neighborhood in annexed east Jerusalem.
It was the deadliest attack targeting Israeli civilians in more than a decade, and came a day after an Israeli attack in the West Bank killed 10 Palestinians.
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Macron was reiterated “it is important to avoid any step that can feed the cycle of violence” between Israel and Palestine, while offering “France’s full solidarity with Israel in the fight against terrorism, the French president said.
Remaining in France until Saturday, Netanyahu will also meet with French business leaders and leaders of the country’s Jewish community, the Israeli Embassy said.
The judicial reform planned by the prime minister’s latest coalition of far-right, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties has raised the hackles of some business executives, especially in the financial sector, who are threatening to leave Israel.