French Far-Right Leader Bardella: US ‘Underestimated’ Iran, ‘More Solid & Radicalized’ Than Expected

Reflecto News | Geopolitics | Iran-US Conflict

PARIS — Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally party, delivered a sharp critique of the U.S. strategy in the Iran war, arguing that Washington has once again underestimated an adversary — repeating the same mistakes it made in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Speaking to reporters, Bardella suggested that the two-month-old US-Israeli military campaign has failed to achieve its core objective of destabilizing the Iranian regime, which he described as “more solid” and “more radicalized” than before the war began.

“The Americans have probably underestimated their adversary, as they did previously in Afghanistan and in Iraq. We can clearly see that the desire to destabilize a regime cannot be achieved with just a few air operations. Why? Because the Iranian regime appears to be more solid than expected. It is likely more resilient than anticipated. It is now more radicalized than it was just a few weeks ago.”
— Jordan Bardella, President of France’s National Rally

Bardella’s assessment echoes warnings made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who recently stated that the Iranians are “clearly stronger than one thought” and that the United States appears to lack a convincing negotiating strategy . Unlike Merz, however, Bardella is not a sitting head of government but the leader of France’s leading opposition party, which has been gaining ground in polls ahead of the 2027 presidential election .

The National Rally leader’s criticisms align with the French far‑right’s broader skepticism of U.S. military interventions. Bardella has called for a more “autonomous” European defense strategy, not tied to Washington’s strategic whims — a posture that resonates with voters weary of the economic fallout from the war, including higher energy prices and inflation .

Bardella’s assertion that the Iranian regime is now “more radicalized” than before the war began is supported by recent reporting. Reuters has detailed how power has shifted in Tehran since the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has consolidated control, and new leader Mojtaba Khamenei is largely symbolic, while hardliners dictate policy . The result is a leadership less inclined to compromise.

Bardella’s critique also implicitly questions the efficacy of the U.S. naval blockade as a tool for forcing regime change. While the blockade has inflicted significant economic damage — cutting oil exports by roughly 70% and sending the rial to record lows — the regime has not collapsed, and there is no evidence of a popular uprising.

The National Rally leader also has a domestic political motive for his critique. With President Emmanuel Macron’s term expiring in 2027, Bardella is positioning himself as a credible alternative on foreign policy, arguing that France should not be a “junior partner” to Washington in the Middle East. By pointing out the failures of US strategy, Bardella aims to differentiate himself from the foreign policy establishment — including both Macron and his potential rivals on the right.

His warning that the Iranian regime is now “more radicalized” also suggests that any future deal will be harder, not easier, to achieve — a pessimistic note that aligns with the National Rally’s anti‑establishment, realist worldview .

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