Iran criticizes Macron's stance on nuclear deterrence as inconsistent

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for what he described as a double standard on nuclear deterrence. In a post on X, Baghaei referred to Macron's remarks during a test of a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, in which Macron said that to be free one must be feared, and to be feared one must be powerful.

Baghaei contrasted this with Macron's statements regarding Iran, quoting him as saying: "Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. Neither today, nor in five years, nor in ten years. Never." The spokesperson noted that Iran has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons.

The Iranian spokesperson questioned why a logic that guarantees France's security and freedom becomes a "threat" when applied to Iran, including when discussing a civil, peaceful nuclear program subject to international monitoring. He stated that the harsh reality is that "they do not want peace for all," adding that they want to preserve a monopoly of power that inspires fear and a monopoly of legitimacy to intimidate.

Baghaei further said that these powers intend to remain powerful themselves, armed with nuclear weapons, while imposing restrictions on others, including countries that merely seek to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, by raising the specter of a supposed "nuclear threat." He argued that a peace in which nuclear powers regard their own weapons as guarantors of their freedom and security, but label the same logic a threat when invoked by others, is not true peace but a monopoly of power based on a sense of superiority.

He concluded that an international order that does not recognize everyone's right to security and peace encourages the domination of a small circle of powers more than it protects peace itself. The remarks were reported by Mehr News Agency (MNA).