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World Leaders Welcome Macron's French Election Win

French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
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World Leaders Welcome Macron's French Election Win

French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP
French President and La Republique en Marche (LREM) party candidate for re-election Emmanuel Macron (R) holds his fist in the air as he holds Brigitte Macron’s hand after his victory in France’s presidential election, at the Champ de Mars in Paris, on April 24, 2022. AFP

World leaders rushed to congratulate France's centrist President Emmanuel Macron on his re-election and defeat of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in elections Sunday.

Here are some of the main reactions according to AFP:

- European Union -"I am delighted to be able to continue our excellent cooperation," tweeted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"We can count on France for five more years," European Council President Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.

- United States -"France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges," US President Joe Biden tweeted. "I look forward to our continued close cooperation -- including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy, and countering climate change."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also congratulated Macron.

"We look forward to continuing close cooperation with France on global challenges, underpinning our long and enduring Alliance and friendship," he wrote.

- Germany -Chancellor Olaf Scholz said French voters "have sent a strong vote of confidence in Europe today. I am happy that we will continue our good cooperation".

- Britain -Prime Minister Boris Johnson called France "one of our closest and most important allies" and said he looked forward "to continuing to work together on the issues which matter most to our two countries and to the world".

- Ukraine -President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has spoken with Macron several times since Russia's invasion on February 24, called Macron a "true friend of Ukraine".

"I wish him further success for the sake of the (French) people. I appreciate his support and I am convinced that we are moving together towards new common victories," he wrote in both Ukrainian and French.

- Russia -Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a telegram: "I sincerely wish you success in your state activities, as well as good health and well-being," according to a statement from the Kremlin.

- Algeria -President Abdelmadjid Tebboune congratulated Macron on his "brilliant" victory and invited him to visit Algeria soon "to intensify and broaden" relations which have been fraught in recent times between France and its neighboring former colony.

- China -China President Xi Jinping said he would "like to continue working with President Macron to maintain diplomatic relations based on independence, mutual understanding, foresight and mutual benefit". according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV.

- Australia -Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Macron's victory was a "great expression of liberal democracy in action in uncertain times".

"We wish you and France every success, in particular your leadership in Europe and as an important partner to Australia in the Indo-Pacific," he tweeted, using an alternative name for the Asia-Pacific region.

In November, Macron accused his Australian counterpart of lying over a multi-billion-dollar submarine contract that Canberra scrapped without warning.

- Canada -Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "looking forward to continuing our work together on the issues that matter most to people in Canada and France -- from defending democracy, to fighting climate change, to creating good jobs and economic growth for the middle class".

- India -Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated his "friend" on being re-elected and said "I look forward to continue working together to deepen the India-France Strategic Partnership."

- Japan -Tweeting in French, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote: "We will strengthen our close cooperation with President Macron in various areas, such as the Indo-Pacific region and the Russian aggression against Ukraine."

- Italy -Prime Minister Mario Draghi described Macron's victory as "great news for all of Europe".

- Spain -"The citizens have chosen a France committed to a free, strong and fair EU. Democracy wins. Europe wins," tweeted socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "Congratulations Emmanuel Macron."

- Belgium -Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said French voters had made a "strong choice", opting for "certainty and Enlightenment values".

- UN bodies -UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi sent his "warm congratulations" and said his organization would continue to count on Macron's support on the European and world stage "as humanitarian challenges and refugee crises become more serious and complex every day".

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he looked forward to "continuing the important partnership" with France "for a healthier, safer, fairer world".

- Ireland -Prime Minister Micheal Martin hailed Macron's "principled and dynamic leadership" as "important not only for France, but for Europe".

- Switzerland -President Ignazio Cassis said he looked forward to "continuing our good collaboration," stressing the close ties between the two neighboring countries.

- Sweden -Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson sent her "warmest congratulations".

"Let's continue our close cooperation -- bilaterally and for a competitive, green and resilient European Union," she tweeted.

- African Union -African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat congratulated Macron over "his brilliant re-election", saying he hoped to continue building "mutually beneficial relations between Africa and France".

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World

Iran Summons French, German, Italian, UK Envoys Over Support for Protests

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran Summons French, German, Italian, UK Envoys Over Support for Protests

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran on Monday summoned diplomats in Tehran representing France, Germany, Italy and the UK to object to what it described as support by those countries for the protests that have shaken the country, its foreign ministry said.

The diplomats were shown a video of the damage caused by "rioters" and told their governments should "withdraw official statements supporting the protesters", the ministry said in a statement quoted by state television.

In Paris, the French foreign ministry confirmed that "European ambassadors" had been summoned by Iran.

World

Iran’s Traders, Frustrated by Economic Losses, Turn Against Clerics

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iran’s Traders, Frustrated by Economic Losses, Turn Against Clerics

Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Cars burn in a street during a protest over the collapse of the currency's value, in Tehran, Iran, January 8, 2026. Stringer/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iran's bazaar merchants, the trader class who were the financial backbone of the 1979 revolution, have turned against the clerics they helped bring to power, fueling unrest over an economy that has morphed into full-blown anti-government protests.

Frustration among bazaar merchants, from small-scale shopkeepers to large wholesale traders, has grown as their political and economic clout in Iran has diminished over the decades while the elite Revolutionary Guards have tightened their grip on the economy, building sprawling and tightly held networks of power.

"We are struggling. We cannot import goods because of US sanctions and because only the Guards or those linked to them control the economy. They only think about their own benefits," said a trader at Tehran’s centuries-old Grand Bazaar, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The wave of protests that has engulfed the country, posing one of the toughest challenges ever to the clerical leadership, erupted in late December in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where hundreds of shopkeepers denounced the sharp fall in the rial currency.

The demonstrations quickly swelled and turned political, challenging the Islamic Republic's legitimacy. Protesters burned images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and chanted "Death ‌to the dictator" - ‌undeterred by security forces armed with tear gas, batons, and, in many cases, live ammunition.

Iran’s ‌rulers, ⁠while acknowledging economic difficulties, have ‌blamed their longtime foes the US and Israel for fomenting the unrest. They appear intent on holding onto power at any cost, backed by a security apparatus refined over decades of suppressing ethnic revolts, student movements, and protests over economic hardship and social freedoms.

A combination of international sanctions and the Guards' sprawling economic empire has limited the government's ability to ease the dire economic situation.

Tehran-based analyst Saeed Laylaz said the government has lost control over the situation.

"What is striking is that the unrest began in the bazaar. For merchants, the core issue isn’t inflation - it’s price volatility, which leaves them unable to decide whether to buy or sell," he said.

Economic disparities between ordinary Iranians and the clerical and security elite, along with economic mismanagement and state corruption - ⁠reported even by state media - have fanned discontent at a time when inflation is pushing the price of many goods beyond the means of most people.

Iran's rial currency has lost nearly ‌half its value against the dollar in 2025, with official inflation reaching 42.5% in December.

CONTROL ‍OF SECTORS FROM OIL TO CONSTRUCTION

Created by the republic's ‍late founder Khomeini, the Guards first secured an economic foothold after the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, when clerical rulers allowed them ‍to invest in leading Iranian industries.

Their influence expanded exponentially over decades, benefiting from Khamenei's full backing and from opportunities created by Western sanctions, which effectively excluded Iran from the global financial and trading system.

The Guards now control vast sectors of the economy, from oil to transportation, communications, and construction.

Another trader said the crisis was not over, as the Guards have long proved adept at defending their economic interests.

"The government wants to resolve the problem, but it lacks the means and power in this system. The economy is not controlled by the government," said the trader, a 62-year-old carpet seller in Tehran.

All aspects of the country's sanctions-hit oil business have come under the growing influence of the ⁠Guards - from the shadow fleet of tankers that secretly ship sanctioned crude, to logistics and front companies selling the oil, mostly to China.

"No one knows how much of the oil money that the Guards get from selling Iran’s oil returns to the country ... they are too powerful to be questioned about it,” said a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named.

During his 2013–2021 presidency, pragmatist Hassan Rouhani repeatedly clashed with the Guards, accusing them publicly of resisting budget cuts, while his attempts to curb their commercial networks and assets were largely frustrated.

THE ESTABLISHMENT RELIES ON THE GUARDS TO END UNREST

Even as it has relinquished economic power, the clerical establishment has relied on its loyal forces - the Guards and its affiliated Basij paramilitary - to violently crush ethnic uprisings, student unrest, and protests over economic hardship, preserving the political order.

"Given the sensitive circumstances when the country faces foreign threats, Khamenei cannot upset the Guards by curbing their economic influence. The establishment needs them to quell the protests and confront foreign threats," said an insider, close to Rouhani.

US-based rights group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 544 people - 496 protesters and 48 security personnel - with 10,681 people arrested since ‌the protests began on December 28 and spread around the country. Reuters was unable to independently verify the tallies.

The authorities have not given numbers of casualties, but officials say many members of the security forces have been killed by "terrorists and rioters" linked to foreign foes, including the US States and Israel.

World

Greenland Says It Should Be Defended by NATO, Rejects Any US Takeover

A view of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, June 22, 2025. (AP)
A view of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, June 22, 2025. (AP)
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Greenland Says It Should Be Defended by NATO, Rejects Any US Takeover

A view of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, June 22, 2025. (AP)
A view of houses in Nuuk, Greenland, June 22, 2025. (AP)

Greenland's government said on Monday it will increase efforts to ensure the defense of the Arctic territory takes place under the auspices of NATO and again rejected US President Donald Trump's ambition to take over the island.

Trump has said the United States must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent Russia ‌or China occupying the ‌strategically located and minerals-rich territory ‌in ⁠the future.

"All ‌NATO member states, including the United States, have a common interest in the defense of Greenland," the island's coalition government said in a statement, adding that it can in no way accept a US takeover of Greenland.

"As part of ⁠the Danish commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO and ‌the defense of Greenland ‍must therefore be through NATO," ‍the government said.

The European Union Commissioner ‍for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius said earlier on Monday that any US military takeover of Greenland would be the end of NATO.

Trump first floated the idea of a US takeover of Greenland in 2019 during his first term ⁠in office, although he faces opposition in Washington, including from within his own party.

While Denmark has ruled Greenland for centuries, the territory has gradually been moving towards independence since 1979, a goal shared by all political parties elected to the island's parliament.

"We are a democratic society that makes our own decisions. And our actions are based on international law," Greenland's Prime Minister ‌Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on LinkedIn.