French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “law of the jungle” at the U.N. General Assembly as he called for nations to protect civilians during war and commit to international law.
Macron addressed the meeting of global leaders for the final time in New York shortly after President Donald Trump, who delivered a speech that focused heavily on the United States’s war with Iran.
Although not addressing Trump by name, Macron leaned into his defense of international law, telling nations to “stand firm” and urging them to align with the U.N. system.
“The question put to us, in very simple terms, is whether we want to live in this state of nature, with a kind of return to the law of the jungle, or in a civilized international society,” he said.
Macron also cautioned against “barbaric acts,” noting the targeting of infrastructure and civilians.
“We’ve seen the destruction of civilian infrastructure, human rights violations,” he said. “It’s a new era of barbaric acts.”
The French leader has, in recent days, focused on preventing Russian strikes on France’s sensitive defense industry and technology sites. Macron also spoke with Trump before the U.N. gathering and said the meeting ended with an agreement to secure a moratorium on Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Targeting infrastructure was noted in Trump’s speech hours before Macron took the stage. Trump said he had a “big decision” before him on how to proceed with Iran, listing one of the options as “annihilating” the country.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?” Trump said on the stage before dignitaries. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
TRUMP DEFENDS IRAN WAR IN SUBDUED ADDRESS TO WORLD LEADERS
Additionally, Macron’s calls to protect civilians in war-torn areas come as the United Nations found the U.S. was likely behind a deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran that killed 120 children. The U.N. said its mission found “reasonable grounds to believe the United States committed the war crime.” The Pentagon has not released the findings of its investigation into the incident.
Macron said he spoke with Trump about the conflict in Iran during their Monday meeting at Trump Tower. He said they agreed to “act together to ease tensions in the energy markets, by protecting critical infrastructure in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
