Iran’s president told his French counterpart Sunday that the latest US attacks on Iranian islands were launched from the territories of some Gulf countries, according to Iranian media.

Masoud Pezeshkian was speaking about recent strikes on Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

According to remarks reported by the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Pezeshkian said the roots of insecurity and instability in the region lie in “hostile actions by Israel and the United States.”

He said Iran and its armed forces “had not sought escalation or conflict" but stressed that Iran would firmly defend its territorial integrity and national security.

Macron said it was necessary to end the war and reduce tensions in the region, according to the report.

In a post later on the US social media company X’s platform, he called on Iran to immediately end its attacks on countries in the region, whether direct or through proxies in Lebanon and Iraq.

He underscored that France is acting within a strictly defensive framework to protect its interests, those of its regional partners and freedom of navigation and that it is unacceptable for France to be targeted.

“The uncontrolled escalation we are witnessing is plunging the entire region into chaos with major consequences today and for years to come. The populations in Iran as everywhere in the region are the victims,” he said, emphasizing that a new political and security framework will ensure peace.

“Only a new political and security framework will ensure peace and security for all. Such a framework must guarantee that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons while addressing the threats posed by its ballistic program as well as its regional and international destabilization activities,” he added.

He emphasized that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored "as quickly as possible.”

Macron also urged Pezeshkian to allow French nationals Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were detained in Iran in May 2022 and later convicted of espionage, to return to France safely.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that the US destroyed all military targets on Kharg Island and threatened to attack the island’s oil infrastructure if Iran continued to block ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export hub, handling 90%-95% of the country’s crude exports. In 2025, the island handled an average of 1.54 million to 1.7 million barrels per day.

The island serves as a key component of Iran’s energy system and a vital source of government revenue.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1 following the launch of joint attacks by Israel and the US against the country on Feb. 28, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hostilities have since escalated.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting US military assets.