France and Iran`s Rivalry in the Middle East: Strategies, Interactions, and Consequences

This study argues that France has recently sought to reassert itself as a power in the Middle East, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(MENA);, especially in its former colonies. In this context, France\`s quest for \`Pax Mediterranea\` under the leadership of Emmanuel Macron, which has intensified its political-military initiatives in the MENA region, is analyzed through the rivalry between Paris and Tehran in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, which are considered as Iran\`s spheres of influence in the Middle East. In this context, it is possible to explain the ups and downs of France-Iran relations from a realist perspective based on geopolitical competition, concrete threat perceptions and military-economic factors. Within the framework of neo-realist theory, which emphasizes the need to prevent the rise of regional hegemonic powers, this study argues that France\`s concern about Iran\`s growing influence in the region, the conflict of interests they face at the regional level and Iran\`s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons are the most important reasons for the unfriendly relations between the two countries.