°®Âþµº

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced the "headlong rush" of Iran's nuclear programme after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Paris to seek a stronger European stance against Tehran.

In a statement released after a dinner meeting in the Elysee Palace, Macron warned that Tehran continuing with the atomic project "would inevitably have consequences".

Both leaders discussed ways to counter "the Iranian nuclear threat" and Netanyahu stressed the need for more "deterrence against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East", the Israeli embassy said.

Israel, one of Iran's regional foe, has long accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is aimed solely at generating energy.

Netanyahu hopes Iran's role in supplying drones to Russian invaders in Ukraine, as well as its crackdown on protests at home, will prompt Western allies to drop any bid to revive a 2015 atomic programme deal.

The prime minister has also said Israel is considering sending military aid to Ukraine, apparently dropping its more neutral stance over the conflict in the hope of securing a more confrontational Western position towards Tehran.

'Playing the Ukraine card'

By "playing the Ukraine card", Netanyahu hopes to "consolidate an anti-Iranian front" with the West, said David Khalfa at the Fondation Jean Jaures, a Paris-based think tank.

He hopes for "increased sanctions against Iran and the full addition of the Revolutionary Guards to the list" of sanctioned entities, a step France and Germany have so far resisted, Khalfa added.

During his meeting with Macron, Netanyahu urged "substantial sanctions to be imposed on the Iran regime and called for the Revolutionary Guards to be added to the European Union's terror list", the Israeli embassy said.

France agrees that "firmness" is needed in dealings with Iran, a diplomatic source told AFP earlier, saying the nuclear programme had reached "a dangerous point" and highlighting Tehran's role in the Ukraine war.

Siding with Ukraine is not without risk for Netanyahu, as Russian air defences in neighbouring Syria could be turned against Israeli aircraft during their occasional raids on Iranian interests there.

Iran also holds several foreign citizens who are considered political hostages by Western governments.

Netanyahu's visit came after a weekend drone attack on a defence ministry facility in the Iranian city of Isfahan, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed officials, have said the attack was carried out by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, though this has not been confirmed by Israel.

Netanyahu's visit came as Israeli-inflicted violence intensified in both the occupied territories and the Gaza Strip, when Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in a deadly raid on a Jenin refugee camp last week. Moreover,ÌýIsraeli war planes struck the besieged enclave on Thursday, causing damage.

Overall, at least 35 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in 2023, with hundreds more injured.

Additionally, Netanyahu's new right-wing government has been described as the most "extremist" in the country's history.