France aspires to be a bigger player in Middle East

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to the G7 Summit in France later this month so he could meet US President Donald Trump.

As expected, Macron's move has invited criticism from the US, with Trump tweeting that France has given mixed signals to Iran and that no one except the US administration is authorized to represent the US. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, on the other hand, has dismissed the US' criticism saying that "on Iran, France speaks with total sovereignty".

France's differences with the US also show that the European Union's strategy on the Middle East is distinct from the US'. France and the EU both believe building a dialogue and cooperation mechanism with the region, and preventing a military conflict between the US and Iran, will facilitate peace and stability there. By contrast, the US has chosen economic sanctions, political arm-twisting and military strikes, instead of dialogue, to solve the perceived problems in the region. Many believe even a regime change in Iran is part of the US' Middle East policy.