The strategic priority of the French State is clear: war to defend its strategic interests. After presenting the new French nuclear doctrine with great pomp this Monday, Emmanuel Macron gave a speech tonight on the situation in the Middle East. An opportunity for the head of state to redouble his warmongering with a brutal imperialist speech, in which he fully justified the murderous war unleashed by Trump and Netanyahu against Iran and announced his commitment to defend the interests of France and its main allies in the region, the reactionary monarchies of the Gulf.
Iran “is primarily responsible for this situation,” Macron began by explaining, referring to the nuclear program and Iranian ballistic capabilities, but also to support for “terrorist groups in neighboring countries.” A speech totally aligned with the propaganda of Trump, Netanyahu and Marco Rubio, accompanied by a totally hypocritical reference to “international law” and the necessary “resumption of diplomatic negotiations.” A clear Atlanticist alignment, which contrasts with Pedro Sánchez’s opposition to the war and Keir Starmer’s hesitations, harshly criticized this Tuesday by Trump.
Macron’s objectives are clear: support his American ally, defend French interests in the region and position himself as war chief of the Old Continent, in the continuity of the “Europeanization” of nuclear deterrence. To this end, he mentioned the reinforcement of “the security of military bases [francesas] in the region”, as well as the sending of a frigate and “anti-aircraft defense means” to Cyprus, to defend the British base that was the subject of a drone attack in recent days. As for Lebanon, the president harshly criticized Hezbollah and asked to “respect the territory” of a country that French imperialism continues to consider its protected.
Above all, the French president confirmed the dispatch of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its air-naval group to the eastern Mediterranean. This is a large-scale military device that, in the name of defensive rhetoric, aims to provide itself with the means to support the ongoing imperialist aggression. In this sense, Macron mentioned in particular the proposal to “build a coalition” to “recover and secure traffic” in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran blocked in retaliation for imperialist bombings. Although the head of state stated that “we are not at war”, everything indicates that France is willing to contribute broadly to the ongoing offensive alongside its allies, also committing to defend the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar.
Under these conditions, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s position of supporting “defensive actions” as long as they “do not become offensive actions” is scandalous. Under the pretext of calling for a “ceasefire”, it hides the foundations of the French intervention, which aims to snatch some crumbs from the operation and guarantee the positions of French imperialism in the region. In contrast to this attitude that is critical in form and complacent in substance, it is time to frontally denounce the ongoing reactionary war, with which Trump and Netanyahu intend to redesign the Middle East by eliminating a historical rival, already suffocated by decades of imperialist sanctions.
While the bombings continue throughout Iran, with nearly 800 dead, including more than a hundred schoolgirls murdered in Minab since the first day of the offensive, the only valid position is to unconditionally place oneself on the military side of Iran, with total independence from the regime, and firmly demand the defeat of the imperialist aggression.
From France, it is urgent to build a powerful anti-imperialist mobilization, in the continuity of the fight against the genocide in Gaza, with which the ongoing operation maintains a close link. A mobilization that must clearly say: enough imperialist aggression, French and American troops out of the Middle East, and reject any conciliatory attitude with the historical aggression in progress and the powers that support it.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
