French President Emmanuel Macron discussed regional conflicts with his new Iranian counterpart, a day before Masoud Pezeshkian was due to be sworn in. Pezeshkian was finally sworn in yesterday, Tuesday.
In a phone call between the two men on Monday, Macron called on Iran to "cease its support of destabilising actors" in the Middle East.
He told Pezeshkian that "all must be done to avoid a military escalation" between Israel and Lebanon after a deadly rocket strike in the Golan Heights blamed on Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the Majdal Shams rocket attack, which killed 12 youths on Saturday, though the group claimed multiple strikes on Israeli military positions that day.
The French leader asked Iran to call for restraint, saying that a new war would have "devastating consequences for the region", which is already on edge as a result of Israel's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
France 'committed' to de-escalation of regional conflict after Golan attack
Need for real change
Congratulating Pezeshkian for the reformist candidate's election victory on 5 July, Macron nonetheless underscored the "necessary" need for "real change" in the country.
Pezeshkian assumed official responsibilities on Sunday after official endorsement from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, and is to be sworn in to parliament on Tuesday.
A heart surgeon and parliament member for the northwestern city of Tabriz since 2008, Pezeshkian, was health minister Iran's last reformist president Mohammad Khatami, who held office from 1997 to 2005.
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He won a runoff race against the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May.
Meanwhile Pezeshkian on Monday warned Israel against attacking Lebanon as tensions soar in Golan Heights.
"The Zionist regime (Israel) will make a great mistake with heavy consequences if it attacks Lebanon," Pezeshkian said during his call with Macron, according to the Iranian president's website.
Pezeshkian also accused Israel of violating "all the international frameworks and laws" in its "crimes" against Palestinians.
Ukraine war
The pair evoked other issues during the called, notably the conflict in Ukraine.
Macron called on the new Iranian leader to not support Russia's "war of aggression".
This came as Russia on Monday said its forces had captured the village of Vovche in eastern Ukraine, the latest in a string of frontline advances Moscow has claimed in recent weeks.
On separate issues, Macron also asked the Iranian president "to put an end to the worrying escalation of Iran's nuclear programme", pleading for a diplomatic solution.
Iran must stop 'destabilising acts' to avoid regional escalation says French FM
During his campaign, Pezeshkian pledged to try to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with the United States and other world powers, which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief.
The deal collapsed in 2018 after Washington withdrew from it.
Pezeshkian has in a recent article called for "constructive relations" with European countries, even though he accused them of reneging on commitments to mitigate the impact of US sanctions.
Finally, Macron also demanded the immediate release of three French nationals who "have been unjustly held hostage in Iranian prisons for two years".
He said Iran letting them go was "an unavoidable requirement and a prerequisite for improving" relations between Paris and Tehran.
(with newswires)
