French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday schooled his US counterpart Donald Trump, asking him to refrain from making contradictory statements and work towards ensuring peace amid unrest in the Middle East.ย
Macronโs remarks came after Trump publicly rebuked France following the US being denied access to French airspace.ย
โWe must be serious. And when we are serious, we do not say the opposite of what we said the day before. Perhaps we should not speak every day; we should simply calm things down and build lasting peace,โ Macron said.ย
We were told everything has been settled: Macron on Trumpโs claim
Macron also took a dig at Trumpโs earlier remark, where he claimed that the US destroyed all the nuclear facilities in Iran.ย
โSix months ago, we were told everything had been destroyed and settled. Clearly, that was not the case. Without international inspectors verifying materials, research, and hidden sites, it is simply not serious. There will always be expertise and potentially hidden facilities unless there is lasting oversight. A few weeks of military strikes cannot resolve the nuclear issue in the long term. Without a diplomatic and technical agreement, the situation could deteriorate again in months or years. The same logic applies to ballistic capabilities โ they must be monitored through negotiation,โ he added.
Trump tears into France
On the social media platform Truth Social, Trump on Tuesday criticised France as โunhelpfulโ regarding Iran, warning that Washington would remember the slight.
โThe Country of France wouldnโt let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the โButcher of Iran,โ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!โ Trump posted on Truth Social.ย
Meanwhile, Trump claimed the objectives in Iran were served and Tehran was completely decimated in the attacks by the US forces. He, however, claimed the hostilities will continue for a few more weeks.ย