Macron says Iran war and Hormuz blockade triggered France’s purchasing-power crisis and fueled mass protests

French President Emmanuel Macron said the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz were at the core of France’s current purchasing-power crisis, arguing that soaring fuel prices — rather than a new tax or domestic reform — helped trigger the country’s recent wave of social unrest.

“The core of what triggered this purchasing-power crisis is the war in Iran, the blockade of Hormuz and the resulting rise in fuel prices,” Macron said in a wide-ranging interview with Hugo Travers of HugoDécrypte.

“It’s not a tax increase, it’s not a government decision, it’s not a pension reform that’s triggering this social movement.”

Macron acknowledged that French intelligence services significantly underestimated the scale of the Oct. 17 demonstrations. He said authorities had expected around 250,000 protesters but about 500,000 ultimately took to the streets. The Interior Ministry’s final nationwide estimate was 550,000.

“The anger was underestimated by the intelligence services,” Macron said.

He described the escalation into violence as a “collective failure,” saying neither the high school students who initially mobilized nor police officers expected the demonstrations to produce such severe consequences.

Macron said some officers suffered devastating injuries, including one who lost 14 teeth, and called for a return to calm “on both sides.”

At the same time, he warned that some groups were deliberately seeking confrontation.

“There are people who literally want to create riots,” Macron said, adding that some proposed gatherings appeared to have no objective beyond provoking disorder.

He also criticized social media platforms for failing to remove calls for looting and extreme violence ahead of the Oct. 17 unrest, saying illegal content remained online despite platforms’ own rules.

Macron defended France’s broader position despite the domestic turmoil, rejecting suggestions that the country was in decline and arguing that its military is stronger and more independent than a decade ago, with a powerful nuclear deterrent.

“For ten years, I’ve heard people explaining that I’m a fascist,” Macron said. “I hate that.”

He said political disagreements should not be reduced to labels based on individual statements.