Iran today described as “baseless” the statements of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said that the country in question is “the main strategic challenge and the main security challenge” in the Middle East.

Macron’s comments are “unfounded, contradictory and speculative”, said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bakaei.

He called on France to “reconsider its non-constructive approaches to peace and stability” in the region and also described as “disappointing” Macron’s statements on the Iranian nuclear program.

This program is “peaceful and within the framework of international law”Bakayei argued.

“Iran is the main strategic challenge and the main security challenge for France, the Europeans, the whole region and far beyond”Macron said yesterday, Monday, during his customary annual speech at the Elysee Palace to the approximately 180 French ambassadors around the world.

“The acceleration of his nuclear program is taking us very close to the breaking point,” he went on to say that Iran will be a priority issue in the dialogue he will restore with incoming US President Donald Trump.

Macron also denounced Tehran’s involvement “in Russia’s war against Ukraine”, Iran’s “support for dangerous organizations in all fields of conflict in the Middle East” or even “its attempts to expand in Africa”.

“In this context, the Iranian issue is undoubtedly one of the main ones on which we will restore the dialogue with the new American administration,” concluded.

Iran denies that it intends to develop nuclear weapons. However, it is the only state that it has no nuclear weaponsbut has 60% enriched uraniumaccording to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

This one level of enrichment is located near the 90% which is necessary to make an atomic bomb.