US-Israeli war on Iran 'unjustified and unlawful', French ambassador tells MEE Submitted by David Hearst on Wed, 03/18/2026 - 15:22 French ambassador to Oman says military operation bypassed UN Security Council, sparking 'disappointment and clear dismay' in Muscat Off France believes the US-Israeli war on Iran is unjustified and unlawful, the French ambassador to Oman has told Middle East Eye in an exclusive interview.  Nabil Hajlaoui was speaking during an episode of The David Hearst Podcast published on Tuesday. “This military operation is outside of international law and we cannot endorse it in any way,” Hajlaoui said. “We don't see any justification, any Security Council resolution, or any situation where it is required to move that quickly to this military operation.” The ambassador said that US-Israeli attacks, launched on 28 February, came at a critical moment when Oman-led talks between Washington and Tehran showed signs of progress. “We were briefed by our partners about these discussions, and we did have the impression that several elements were moving in the right direction,” he said.  Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said three weeks ago that Iran had agreed during indirect talks with the United States to never stockpile enriched uranium. Busaidi said Iran would degrade its existing stockpiles of nuclear material to “the lowest level possible” converting them into fuel - a process that would be “irreversible”. The US and Israel launched their war a day after his comments. Hajlaoui said he could understand Iran’s anger at being attacked days after talks. “When you discuss and then you are attacked, you are not very happy,” he said. He noted that while Iran had likely made concessions, it was still “very far from the expectations of the Americans”.  The diplomat said that beyond the nuclear file, there were still disagreements about Tehran’s ballistic missile arsenal and its “destabilising role” in the