Overview

• On June 22, the United States launched direct strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as part of Israel’s campaign to curb Tehran’s nuclear activities.
• Iran has vowed retaliation against the US airstrikes, raising concerns of a wider Middle Eastern conflict.
• French President Emmanuel Macron convened France’s defense council and called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to exercise utmost restraint and renounce nuclear weapons.
• Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed concern over the US operations and urged all parties to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation.
• British, French, German and EU diplomats met in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to press for a negotiated settlement under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework.