France's Macron urges Iran to cease regional attacks, restore Hormuz navigation
The Straits Times
March 15 - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he had asked Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to put an immediate end to attacks against countries in the Middle East whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 15 - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he had asked Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to put an immediate end to attacks against countries in the Middle East whether directly or through proxies, including in Lebanon and Iraq.
"I reminded him that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partners, and freedom of navigation, and that it is unacceptable for our country to be targeted," Macron said in a post on X.
Macron also stressed the need for freedom of navigation to resume in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible," he said.
The French president said lasting stability would require a new political and security framework addressing concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile programme and regional activities.
"Only a new political and security framework can ensure peace and security for all," Macron said, adding that such an arrangement must guarantee Iran never acquires nuclear weapons. REUTERS
Malaysia has been identified as a hub for illegal ship to ship transfers of crude oil in recent years. Read more at straitstimes.com.
LONDON, March 18 - Five new cases of meningitis have been found in Kent in southeast England, Britain said on Wednesday, taking the total to 20 in what has been called an \"unprecedented\" outbreak that has already killed two young people. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MADRID, March 18 - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that the crisis in the Middle East would not distract from his country's support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia, as the two countries signed co-production agreements for battle material including drones, radar and missiles. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MOSCOW, March 18 - Russia on Wednesday condemned a strike near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant a day earlier which it said was just metres away from its reactor and called on the United States and Israel to stop attacking the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Iran has attempted to use its grip on the narrow Hormuz as leverage against overwhelming US and Israeli attacks. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ROME, March 18 - The damaged Russian liquefied natural gas tanker that has been adrift in the Mediterranean for the past two weeks has now entered Libyan search and rescue waters, Italy's civil protection agency said on Wednesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
STOCKHOLM, March 18 - A Swedish citizen was executed in Iran on Wednesday, Sweden's foreign minister said in a statement. Read more at straitstimes.com.
WARSAW, March 18 - A Warsaw court decided on Wednesday that Russian archaeologist Alexander B. should be extradited to Ukraine, where he is accused of involvement in unauthorised excavation and plundering historical artefacts in Crimea, his lawyer said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
COPENHAGEN, March 18 - The wealth tax on which Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is campaigning ahead of a March 24 election may appear modest: a 0.5% levy set at such a high threshold that barely 20,000 Danes - one in 300 residents - will pay it. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Analysts predict US drivers will face long-term pain at the pump, despite Trump's prediction of falling oil prices after the Iran crisis. Read more at straitstimes.com.
US officials said the warship was deployed to the region, without disclosing its destination or mission. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS, March 18 - It is unreasonable to expect the Lebanese government to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah while the country is being bombed by Israel, France's special envoy for Lebanon said on Wednesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The Fishers have won more than US$8 billion in contracts from the Department of Homeland Security. Read more at straitstimes.com.