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French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Iraq must be protected from being pulled deeper into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, following a series of deadly attacks in the region.
In a statement posted on X(formerly Twitter) after speaking with the leader of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Nechirvan Barzani, Macron said all efforts must be made to prevent Iraq from becoming entangled in the wider crisis.
“Everything must be done to avoid Iraq being drawn into the current escalation.”
His comments followed a strike in northern Iraq targeting the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-aligned group that includes several pro-Iran factions.
The PMF said three of its members were killed in what it described as a US-Israeli attack.
Macron also condemned a separate drone attack on Barzani’s official residence earlier in the day, describing it as unacceptable and deeply concerning.
He warned that the situation was becoming increasingly volatile, pointing to a rise in attacks on Iraqi institutions, including recent strikes that killed six members of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in what he said was an Iranian missile attack.
“This very worrying development adds to a rise in attacks against Iraqi institutions, like those that left six eshmergas dead this week,” he said.
The French president noted that the growing pattern of violence posed a serious risk to Iraq’s stability at a time of heightened regional tensions.
