Bahrain Mirror- Reuters: President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Iran misunderstood France's "balanced" position in the region, which centered on not taking sides between Sunni and Shi‘ites, adding that Tehran should be less aggressive in the region. Speaking in Gothenburg, Macron said he wanted Iran to clarify the strategy around its ballistic missile program.

Macron also said he would welcome Saad al-Hariri in Paris on Saturday as Lebanon's prime minister and expected him to return to Beirut in the "coming days, weeks."