Macron calls on Iran to pressure Assad on E. Ghouta

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Iranian counterpart in a phone call to put pressure on the Syrian regime to stop its attacks on the besieged Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus.

The French Foreign Ministry said that Paris wants Iran to contribute in a “constructive way” to resolving crises in the Middle East.

The ministry said “in this regard, the crisis in Syria and the humanitarian situation there will be discussed in particular, as well as other regional issues in which Iran plays a role.”

As many as 770 civilians were killed during the Syrian regime attacks on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta between 19 February and 3 March.

Read: Assad vows to press Ghouta assault, as civilians flee govt advances

The Syrian regime has been besieging some 400,000 civilians in Eastern Ghouta since late 2012, preventing access of food and medical supplies to them.

Last week, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2401, which called on all parties to cease hostilities for at least 30 days in Syria and to lift the siege imposed by the Syrian regime forces on eastern Ghouta and other populated areas.