President Macron Says Iran Regime Cannot Be Changed Only Through Bombing

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that "deep" changes to Iran's leadership could not happen "only through the bombing of the United States-Israel, adding that the war in the Middle East could continue for weeks.

"I think you cannot achieve deep regime change or change in the political system only through bombing," President Macron said aboard the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is currently stationed in the Mediterranean, Al Arabiya and AFP reported (10/3).

The war triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran, "in this intense phase" could last "a few days, maybe a few weeks," he said.

It is known that the Middle East region is heating up in line with the Israeli and US attacks on Iran on February 28 which killed a number of senior officials in Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The attacks, which have also killed more than 1,300 civilians and children, are entering their second week, and Iran has responded by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in a number of Middle Eastern countries.

France and its allies are preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, President Macron said as the Middle East war entered its second week.

The French leader landed by helicopter on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which was sent to the Mediterranean after the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 triggered a war that has sown chaos in the Middle East and threatens to spread to other regions.

Previously, during a visit to Cyprus, President Macron said the Hormuz mission would aim to escort container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the strait "after the end of the most intense phase of the conflict."

"This (the Strait of Hormuz) is important for international trade, but also for gas and oil flows, which must be able to leave the region once again," President Macron said during his visit to the island to discuss regional security.

President Macron visited Cyprus after the island nation and EU member was targeted by an Iranian-made drone in early March.

The French leader said the attack on Cyprus was an attack on all of Europe.

"When Cyprus was attacked, it was Europe that was attacked," he said.

The drone attack in Cyprus led France to deploy the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defense unit to the island. Paris insists that its presence in the region is "absolutely defensive."

The Charles de Gaulle Carrier Battle Group is the heart of the French naval operation, which will also deploy eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers in a vast area including the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

President Macron said France would contribute "in the long term" with two frigates for Operation Aspides.

"What we want to do is ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security," he said.

Separately, the European Union on Monday said it was ready to "increase" its operations to protect maritime traffic in the Middle East. The bloc has discussed strengthening its naval mission in the Red Sea after the US-Israeli attack on Iran triggered a wider regional war.

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway of the Gulf through which a fifth of global crude oil passes, has been almost completely halted since the war broke out on February 28.