At a press conference in Beirut, Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized that Iran’s nuclear program and support for armed groups pose a direct threat not only to the Middle East, but also to Europe. At the same time, Barrot appealed for the strengthening of the Lebanese army, which must acquire the capacity to completely disarm Hezbollah in accordance with the peace agreements.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on a visit to Lebanon on Friday that Iran should stop being a “destabilizing force”. He referred to his nuclear program and support for “terrorist” groups, which, according to the head of diplomacy, threaten countries in the Middle East and Europe. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
At a press conference in Beirut, Barrot called on “Iranian-backed groups” to show the utmost restraint in the event of a military escalation involving the Islamic Republic.
France criticizes Iran
Iran supports, among others, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, which was at war with Israel in 2024.
The head of French diplomacy said before Friday’s visit to Beirut that the Lebanese army must receive funds to disarm Hezbollah. It announced in January that it had completed the first phase of a plan to disarm the movement in accordance with the November 2024 ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Negotiations on Iran
Lebanon was Barrot’s last stop on his tour, which also included visits to Syria and Iraq. He spoke about Iran on the day when the representatives of the Islamic Republic and the United States held talks in Oman. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi described the atmosphere at the negotiations as “positive” on Friday. Shortly after these talks, the US announced new sanctions against Tehran. They are aimed at limiting the export of oil from the country.
The talks on the nuclear program came after repeated threats of military intervention against Iran by US President Donald Trump. He had previously defended the intervention as helping participants in anti-government protests.
Nuclear agreement and sanctions
The West has long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies, saying its program is purely for civilian purposes.
At the end of August 2025, Britain, France and Germany activated the so-called the “snapback” mechanism, i.e. the process of re-imposing sanctions, since, according to them, Iran has violated several of its obligations arising from the 2015 nuclear deal.
