'Uncontrolled military escalation is dangerous in Near and Middle East,' warns French foreign minister

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned Monday against uncontrolled military escalation in the Near and Middle East amid ongoing tensions in the region due to US-Israeli strikes against Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks.

"Uncontrolled military escalation is dangerous in the Near and Middle East. It must not divert us from Ukraine, where for four years the security and peace of the European continent have been at stake, in a context marked by the growing international isolation of Russia," Barrot told reporters ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

He reaffirmed "great determination and resolve" to continue supporting Kyiv and putting pressure on Moscow.

Barrot also announced that current "designations and sanctions are being expanded with nine new designations of war criminals responsible for the massacre in (Ukraine's) Bucha (in March 2022)."

He added that four new sanctions have also been imposed "against Kremlin propagandists."

Since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing around 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.

⁠Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.