Iran mocks Macron as France erupts, Throws Trump's 'great things on Iran' message back at him
PARIS, FRANCE: Iran has turned French President Emmanuel Macron’s past outreach to President Donald Trump into a diplomatic attack, accusing him of hypocrisy as France grapples with one of its worst episodes of unrest in years.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, on Sunday, October 18, invoked Macron’s offer to cooperate with Trump on Iran, as the French government faced nationwide unrest, mass arrests and a fire that severely damaged a historic town hall.
Mr. Macron, Back in January, you prescribed "peaceful assembly without fear of punishment" for those attacking our law enforcement centers and public institutions at the behest of foreign malign actors. Yet now, facing unrest in your own Republic, you quickly declare that destruction and attacks on state institutions will not be tolerated and perpetrators will be swiftly punished. We have not forgotten how, prior to the aggression against Iran, you messaged the U.S. President: "We can do great things on Iran." It soon became clear that your version of "great things" meant aligning with a campaign of aggression and atrocities that eventually engulfed the region and the world. Now that the cycle of crisis has knocked on your own door - and as the cry of "no kings" echoes across America - it might be wise to remember that history does not merely sit by the window opened by sinister alliances, watching the world burn. Sometimes, it shatters that very same window and brings the fire straight back into the house of its authors. “A trick crafted too skillfully may turn against its designer; and betrayal often returns to its master.” Jean de La Fontaine
— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) October 18, 2026
Iran mocks French President amid unrest
Baghaei addressed Macron directly in a post on X, challenging what he described as the French president’s contradictory positions on unrest in Iran and France.
“Back in January, you prescribed ‘peaceful assembly without fear of punishment’ for those attacking our law enforcement centers and public institutions,” Baghaei wrote, accusing Macron of taking a more permissive position when Iranian institutions were targeted.
He contrasted that with Macron’s response to the violence in France, where authorities have vowed to punish those responsible for attacks on public buildings and businesses.
Baghaei then brought up Macron’s private message to Trump, in which the French president wrote that the two leaders could “do great things on Iran”.
The Iranian spokesperson argued that the subsequent US-Israeli military campaign against Iran had exposed the implications of that offer.
“It soon became clear that your version of ‘great things’ meant aligning with a campaign of aggression and atrocities that eventually engulfed the region and the world,” he wrote.
He warned Macron that political alliances could have consequences for those who helped forge them, saying history could “bring the fire straight back into the house of its authors”.
Baghaei closed his post with a quotation attributed to French writer Jean de La Fontaine: “A trick crafted too skillfully may turn against its designer; and betrayal often returns to its master.”
The message at the centre of Baghaei’s criticism dates to January 20, 2026, when Trump published a screenshot of a private communication from Macron on Truth Social.
Macron’s office confirmed that the message was authentic.
In it, Macron wrote: “We are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.”
Is this the Cultural Enrichment we hear everybody talk about in France ? https://t.co/lTbCiNa5sO
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) October 17, 2026
France's historic Town Hall torched
France’s street unrest became the backdrop to Tehran’s attack on Macron, with demonstrations over living costs and strained public services giving way to violence across the country on Saturday, October 17.
The turnout was substantial, though estimates differed. France’s Interior Ministry counted approximately 550,000 marchers, while the CGT union put participation at 800,000.
The disorder went beyond the demonstrations themselves. Masked groups confronted police, broke into businesses and targeted government property in several cities.
Limoges saw one of the most striking incidents when a fire ripped through its historic town hall.
The 19th-century neo-Renaissance structure had stood through two world wars, but the blaze consumed its roof and brought down its 43-metre clock tower.
In Paris, police fired tear gas as confrontations continued on Sunday. Elsewhere, businesses were left damaged and shops were looted.
French authorities said the unrest had resulted in over 2,000 arrests and left hundreds of police officers injured. One demonstrator died after suffering cardiac arrest during the Paris protests.
France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late! President DONALD J. TRUMP ( TS: Oct 18 2026, 8:11 AM ET )
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 18, 2026
The scenes also drew a response from President Donald Trump.
In a post on X on Sunday, he blamed immigration for France’s turmoil, writing: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country.”
Trump followed up with a demand for France to “Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”
