Macron opposes regime change in Iran, warns of deeper regional chaos

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged restraint in the growing conflict between Iran and Israel, warning that military strikes aimed at regime change would plunge the region into chaos. His remarks drew a sharp contrast with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has ramped up threats toward Tehran in recent days.

Macron, speaking from Paris, emphasized that while France remains opposed to a nuclear-armed Iran, “the biggest error would be to use military strikes to change the regime because it would then be chaos.” He called instead for a swift return to negotiations and international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.

The French leader’s comments followed a public rebuke from Trump, who dismissed Macron’s earlier suggestion that the U.S. president had left the G7 summit to help secure a cease-fire between Israel and Iran. “That’s not why I left,” Trump said Tuesday morning on X, formerly Twitter, rejecting the notion outright.

Since then, Trump has escalated his rhetoric, demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and warning that U.S. patience is running out as the air war between Israel and Iran enters its fifth day.

Israel, which has said it launched the campaign to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, despite the U.S. intelligence director stating otherwise, continues to strike targets in Iran. Tehran has denied seeking nuclear arms.

Macron insisted that diplomacy, not force, is the path forward. “We must help our partners in the region—Lebanon, Iraq, and others—reduce what threatens their security, but they need anything but chaos,” he said.

He also criticized comparisons made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who suggested Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could meet the same fate as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, who was toppled and executed following a U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

“Does anyone think Iraq in 2003 or Libya a decade later were good ideas?” Macron asked rhetorically. “No.”

The French president’s position stands in stark contrast to that of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who defended Israel’s campaign, calling it “dirty work” done on behalf of Western allies. Merz added that Israel likely lacks the firepower to destroy Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility without U.S. support.

In an interview with ZDF, Merz said the U.S. may soon need to decide whether to join the effort, depending on Iran’s willingness to return to the negotiating table.