French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion of a military attack on Iran, stating it could lead to “greater chaos.” During the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Macron emphasized, “We do not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but the biggest mistake would be trying to change a regime through military attack.”
Macron highlighted past cases with Iraq and Libya to underline the risks of attacking Iran. He questioned whether anyone believes the outcomes in Iraq in 2003 or Libya a decade later were beneficial, stating “No one thinks so.” The 2003 invasion of Iraq led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein but resulted in a power vacuum, paving the way for extremist groups like ISIS. In Libya, a civil war followed the 2011 democratic movement, toppling Muammar Gaddafi and leading to prolonged chaos until a ceasefire in 2020.
Macron further mentioned that Trump’s early departure from the G7 summit was supposedly due to the Israel-Iran truce. However, Trump countered this, stating Macron was misinformed about his reason for returning to Washington, which was unrelated to a truce. Trump later called a National Security Council meeting, demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” with reports suggesting he was leaning more towards a military solution than a diplomatic one.