Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told French President Emmanuel Macron that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that Tehran is not seeking to obtain nuclear weapons, Iranian state media said on Wednesday.
The two leaders held a phone call to discuss the future of nuclear diplomacy and regional tensions. According to Iranian reports, Pezeshkian said Iran’s defense doctrine and a religious decree by the country’s Supreme Leader forbid the pursuit of nuclear arms.
He said Tehran continues to support diplomatic dialogue but added that “Western governments must respect Iran’s rights and avoid imposing unilateral demands.” Pezeshkian also said the use of pressure and threats “only widens differences and undermines opportunities for understanding.”
The Élysée Palace said Macron spoke with Pezeshkian to call for the “full and complete release” of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were granted conditional freedom after three years in detention. It said the French president had also spoken earlier in the day with the two nationals and urged that they be allowed to leave Iran as soon as possible.
France announced on Tuesday that Kohler and Paris had been freed from Evin prison in Tehran and were at the French Embassy but not permitted to leave the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they were released under Islamic clemency and remain in Iran.
Araghchi also said Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian student conditionally released by France last month after being detained over anti-Israel social media posts, is now at Iran’s embassy in Paris.
