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FRANCE PERSPECTIVE
THE UNITED STATES STRIKES IRAN AGAIN AS TEHRAN DECLARES THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ CLOSED
DOMINANT ANGLE
Paris views the escalation as proof that the June 17 truce never held, amid repeated American strikes and Iranian reprisals against the Gulf.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Paris, July 12, 2026. For French newsrooms, the ceasefire signed on June 17 between Washington and Tehran lasted only three weeks. On Tuesday, the United States struck Iranian soil for two consecutive nights, attributing to Tehran attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran retaliated by targeting Kuwait - where at least one person was injured -, Bahrain, and Qatar, which is a mediator in the matter. According to the Iranian Ministry of Health, the US strikes resulted in 14 deaths and 78 injuries.
The French government is closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds. France's capital is concerned about the escalating tensions between the US and Iran. The US President declared on Truth Social that the ceasefire was "over", while also stating that exchanges with Tehran would continue. The US President also accused the Islamic Republic of planning his assassination, promising to "completely decimate and destroy" Iran if such a plan were to materialize - a threat already mentioned, according to him, by Israeli officials cited by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The US has also reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil lifted on June 17, a decision that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi qualifies as a "violation" of the agreement. "So far, Iran has kept its word", he wrote on X, adding that "respect can only be mutual".
The resurgence of tensions coincides with the funeral, on Friday in Mashhad, of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the conflict in February. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil normally passes, has significantly slowed down since July 8; the UKMTO reports a high level of maritime risk. Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the passage would only reopen under "Iranian terms", ruling out any return to pre-war free passage.
On the diplomatic front, a Qatari delegation traveled to Iran on Friday, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged President Massoud Pezeshkian to preserve the "hard-won peace". Abbas Araghchi is set to travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss the future of the strait. However, Tehran warns that it will no longer consider itself bound by the June protocol if Washington continues to violate its terms, according to Iranian state television.
KEY POINTS
- France's capital is closely watching the aftermath of two consecutive nights of US strikes that have left 14 dead and 78 injured in Iran, according to Iran's Health Ministry.
- In retaliation, Iran targeted Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, injuring at least one person in Kuwait, a move the French government is monitoring.
- The French government notes that sanctions on Iranian oil, which had been lifted on June 17, have been reinstated, a decision Iran's Minister Abbas Araghchi frames as a "violation" of the ceasefire.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
France's capital is focused on American statements, with a broad pickup of Donald Trump's comments on Truth Social as the main narrative thread of the story.
The French government shows a preference for official diplomatic sources, such as Qatar and Pakistan, as mediators, to the detriment of voices from Iranian or Gulf civil society.
There is limited coverage of the immediate economic consequences, particularly the impact on oil prices despite the slowdown in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
SOURCES (6)
MEDIUMSTATE MEDIA
MEDIUM
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