PARIS, June 23, 2025 (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday warned against an "uncontrolled escalation" in the Middle East after the United States joined Israel's campaign against Tehran's atomic programme by bombing Iranian nuclear sites.

"No strictly military response can produce the desired effects," Macron told a defence council meeting in Paris.

"The resumption of diplomatic and technical discussions is the only way to achieve the goal we all seek, which is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," he added.

The French leader however did not directly condemn the unprecedented US intervention.

After a scheduled visit to Norway on Monday, Macron is on Tuesday due to go the Netherlands for a NATO summit which US President Donald Trump is also set to attend.

In a joint statement with his German and British counterparts, Macron called on Iran "not to take any further action that could destabilise the region" in response to the strikes.

Earlier the French leader had urged Tehran to de-escalate and "exercise the utmost restraint" after the strikes in a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.

He said he also told Iran to "renounce nuclear weapons", warning of "the risk of the worst for the entire region".

On Sunday, Macron also spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.