Fresh US-Iranian talks on Tehran's nuclear programme that had been scheduled for Sunday were cancelled after Israel launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran, targeting nuclear facilities and killing top army commanders and atomic scientists.

The unprecedented barrage prompted counter-attacks by Iran, fuelling fears the conflict could escalate.

Macron said in a message on X that he "invited President Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement -- the only viable path to de-escalation".

Iran insists its uranium-enrichment activities are peaceful, but Western allies fear they are aimed at developing atomic weapons.

Given the growing destabilisation in the region, Macron asked that French citizens and its interests in the region not be targeted, he added.

"I also called for the greatest restraint to avoid an escalation," he wrote.

International calls for restraint have multiplied as fears grow that the Middle East could be on the threshold of a broader conflict.

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