France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, warned that Iran-backed groups should hold back if tensions between Iran and the United States escalate regionally, saying such a move would worsen an already dangerous situation across the Middle East.
Barrot made the comments in Beirut on Friday after arriving earlier in the day, following visits to Syria and Iraq. He spoke after holding talks with Lebanese leaders, addressing concerns that if the United States were to take military action against Iran, Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon could join the war.
“If, however, we witness a regional escalation, it would be appropriate for groups supported by Iran to exercise the greatest restraint in the whole region so as not to worsen a situation,” Barrot said, warning that “That would profoundly destabilize the Near and Middle East.” He added that a military escalation must be avoided “at all cost,” saying France views such a step as neither in the interest of countries in the region nor in France’s own interests.
The warning landed as the U.S. and Iran held indirect talks in Oman on how to approach discussions over Tehran’s nuclear program. MSI previously reported on the broader diplomatic setting of indirect U.S.-Iran nuclear discussions as tensions mount in the region in a separate article. MSI previously reported that Iran and the U.S. were holding indirect nuclear talks in Geneva as tensions mount.
In his Beirut meetings, Barrot also discussed an ongoing process aimed at disarming Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Iran-backed group. He said France is working closely with the United States and with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt as part of planning for a conference scheduled to be held next month in France.
Barrot said the conference would be organized “with us to a targeted collective contribution, built with the Lebanese authorities,” and he linked it to Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen security along its southern border with Israel. He said the Lebanese army has been expanding its presence in southern Lebanon following a 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.
Lebanon’s army, Barrot’s remarks implied, is operating amid strain from Lebanon’s broader crisis, including a historic economic meltdown that began in late 2019 and has badly affected the country.