French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned on Wednesday that military confrontation with Iran appears “almost inevitable” if diplomatic efforts to limit Tehran’s nuclear program fail.
“The window of opportunity is narrow. We only have a few months until the expiration of this accord,” Barrot told Parliament following a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
He added, “In the event of failure, a military confrontation would seem to be almost inevitable.”
European powers are seeking an agreement to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment by mid-2025, before UN sanctions expire in October 2025.
“Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons,” Barrot said, adding that France seeks a “verifiable and durable” agreement.
Since the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran has significantly increased uranium enrichment to levels Western officials say exceed civilian needs.
The Trump administration pursued “maximum pressure” tactics, with Trump threatening military action if Iran refused to negotiate.
Responding to threats, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran would be forced to develop nuclear weapons if attacked by the United States or its allies.
“We are not moving towards [nuclear] weapons, but if you make a mistake on the nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself,” Ali Larijani told state TV.
“Iran does not want to do this, but when you apply pressure… [it] will have no choice,” he added.