Macron Says Iran Must Behave Responsibly

French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask. Reuters file photo
French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask. Reuters file photo
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Macron Says Iran Must Behave Responsibly

French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask. Reuters file photo
French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask. Reuters file photo

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday Iran had to stop worsening the situation with regard its nuclear accord with word powers and act responsibly.

"Iran must make the expected gestures and behave in a responsible way," Macron said alongside his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin, adding that he wanted a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, but also the control of Iran's ballistic missile activities in the region.

The US and its Western allies see Iran’s missile program as a threat, along with the country’s nuclear program — particularly after Tehran gradually breached its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, following the Trump administration's withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

Under the nuclear accord, Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Iran has been urging the United States to quickly rejoin the international agreement. It believes that the US, as the country which first reneged on the deal, must make the first move, and should not set any preconditions.

Macron said Paris would continue to work to revive a credible process to end this crisis.

"That means a return to control and supervision of the nuclear program, but also to integrating - as we have called for since 2017 - the control of Iran's ballistic missile activity," he added.



Harris Reiterates Support for Gaza Ceasefire as Conflict Escalates

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
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Harris Reiterates Support for Gaza Ceasefire as Conflict Escalates

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Nov. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP)

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Washington will continue to pressure Israel and other players in the Middle East to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza even as advocates say that the United States has not thus far used its leverage over its ally.

In an interview with CBS news show "60 Minutes," Harris said that diplomatic work with Israel is "an ongoing pursuit," according to a clip released on Sunday.

Harris sidestepped a question in the interview on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a "real close ally."

"I think with all due respect the better question is do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people and the answer to that question is yes," Harris said, Reuters reported.

Harris reiterated Washington's position to support Israel's right to self defense against Iran and Iran-backed militant groups like Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.

"Now the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles," Harris said.

"We're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region including Arab leaders," Harris said.

Washington's occasional condemnation of Israel over the war's civilian death toll has mostly been verbal with no substantive change in policy.

Advocates say Washington has not put pressure on its ally by refusing to put an arms embargo that anti-war protesters around the United States and the world have demanded for months. Protests were also held over the weekend.

President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire plan for Gaza on May 31 but a deal between Israel and Hamas has not been reached due to gaps in exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and Israel's demand that it maintain presence in a corridor on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt.

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has also been separately carrying out a military campaign in Lebanon which in recent days has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million.