French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that Iran’s nuclear program is rapidly approaching the “point of no return.”
Speaking at the annual conference of French ambassadors in Paris, the French president described Iran as “the main strategic and security challenge” for the European Union.
He emphasized the shrinking window for Western nations to act and called for the swift implementation of broad sanctions against Tehran.
On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged his fellow citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, citing fear of arbitrary arrest. Barrot expressed concern over the detention of French citizens in the Islamic Republic, stating that some are enduring conditions that could be described as “torture.”
Meanwhile, Iran announced on Tuesday the deployment of new air defense systems focused on protecting the Natanz nuclear site in the central province of Isfahan.
The deployment comes after Israel reportedly destroyed much of Iran’s air defense network during strikes on Apr. 19 and Oct. 26 of last year, which were in retaliation for Tehran’s large-scale missile barrages on the Jewish state.