TEHRAN – Iranian Intelligence Minister Seyyed Esmaeil Khatib has said it is no longer necessary that the U.S. president set policies for French President Emmanuel Macron, rather it is the CIA that tells him “what to say and what position to take”.

Khatib also drew a comparison between the current and former leaders of France and Germany, saying once the leaders of these countries put forward proposals for European independence from the U.S. and played important roles on the global stage.

Regardless of whether the influence they exercised was “good or bad” the name of the leaders of these countries is recorded in the European history, the minister said in an interview with the IRNA news agency and the Iran newspaper that was published on Wednesday.

The intelligence minister was most probably referring to former French president such as Charles de Gaulle who ruled France from 1959 to 1969 and German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who did not bow to U.S. pressures. 

Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the French and German rulers strongly opposed attack on the country to the extent that former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said Washington will “punish France” and “ignore Germany”. Or George W. Bush’s secretary defense Donald Rumsfeld made derogatory remarks against France and Germany and called them “old Europe”.

Even Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel, both from the Christian Democratic Union, were circumspect in making foreign policy comments and were considered shrewd and heavyweight politicians.

“There are astronomical distances” between the current and former leaders of France and Germany.

“For example, now compare with the current president of France that no longer it is necessary the U.S. president tell him what to follow, but a low-ranking corrupt source in the CIA dictates to him what to say and what position to take,” the minister opined.

He added, “They are no longer those independent and powerful leaders of the first-ranking European countries.”

These countries have turned into followers of the “Zionists” and the United States, even though sometimes they make gestures of independence, he remarked.

The French president has openly backed protests in Iran.  He recently met with Masih Alinejad, whom the intelligence minister described as a “political clown”.

She held a one-on-one meeting with Macron at the Elysee Palace on November 11.

After the meeting, Macron told a conference in Paris of his "respect and admiration in the context of the revolution they are leading".

On November 14, Macron also characterized the protests in Iran as a "revolution".

"Something unprecedented is happening," Macron said in an interview. "The grand children of the revolution are carrying out a revolution and are devouring it."

Khatib said Macron’s stances against Iran has other reasons, including “tracking down and arresting two members of France’s intelligence services” by the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.

The minister said only a part of the missions of these two French spies have been revealed. “We have not yet revealed the most important and most influential subject.”

Khatib described Macron as a naïve person who is easily cheated.  He cited his meeting with Masih Alinejad as disgraceful.

Macron as the leader of one the most important European countries repeated what this “political clown” told him and damaged his reputation.

He also pointed to France’s support to Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran in the 1980s including delivery of Mirage fighter jets to Iraq.

The intelligence chief also cited France’s extensive support to the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), selling blood contaminated with HIV to Iran and spying on Iran as concrete examples of human rights violation by France.

“Europe has been taken hostage by U.S.”

The intelligence chief also said it is not just an “analysis” but a “secret information” that European countries, particularly France and Germany, have been taken hostage by the United States.

“My remarks are not merely an analysis based on observations…. but our secret information confirms a kind of the capture of Europe by the U.S. We have documents about the way the U.S. deals even France and Germany.”

The minister also said Iran has “document” that the U.S. determines the level of economic and military ties between certain Persian Gulf Arab states with other countries, including Germany and France.

The Americans “candidly set a ceiling for their relationship with Europe” including arms purchases.

“Even in certain cases tell them what answers give to the Europeans.”

He said the Europeans are not ignorant of the U.S. dictates to these Persian Gulf states but they are no longer like former European leaders that withstood exorbitant demands by Washington.

The minister went on to say that the European leaders are not courageous enough to openly express their views about the U.S. and the Zionist regime.

Khatib also said that the cost of the Ukraine war is being paid by European taxpayers under pressure by Britain and the U.S.  to the extent that European citizens have been advised to choose between “heating and eating” in the cold seasons.

 Iran has put unprecedented pressure by the West under accusations of human rights violations to the extent that under the sponsorship of Germany the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution against Iran on November 24 that was mostly backed by the Western countries.

However, Khatib said the Berlin government which accuses Iran of using violence against protestors has clamped down on protestors in 12 German cities with the help of the federal police.

Moreover, it violates the rights of minorities such as educational discrimination against foreign students living in Germany, exercise racism against women wearing hijabs when it comes to employment, sex-based salary disparities, etc., he explained. 

The minister also predicted that the rulers of countries that back unrest in Iran should await turmoil in their own countries because this is “divine destiny”.

He said in a joint statement that was released by the Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC Intelligence Organization the presence of Americans in the headquarters of the militant separatist groups in Iraqi Kurdistan was revealed.

“Recently, German statemen have also made visits to the (Iraqi) Kurdistan region and met with this armed terrorist separatists and made some promises. This will definitely will not go unanswered,” he added.