A viral video showing French First Lady Brigitte Macron pushing President Emmanuel Macron on a plane last year was triggered by a message on his phone from Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, according to claims in a new book.

Axar.az reports, citing Daily Mail, French journalist Florian Tardif, writing in An (Almost) Perfect Couple, alleges that Brigitte Macron saw a message exchange between her husband and the exiled actress, which led to a heated argument before the couple disembarked in Vietnam.

“What happened is that she saw a message from a well-known figure — an Iranian actress: Golshifteh Farahani,” Tardif said.

He added that Macron had maintained what he described as a “platonic” relationship with Farahani over several months, during which he allegedly sent messages including: “I find you very pretty.”

Tardif claimed the incident escalated into a “significant argument” aboard the presidential aircraft.

“These messages caused tension within the couple,” he said, adding that the dispute “became public because there was a misunderstanding on the plane.”

At the time of the video’s circulation, the Elysee dismissed the episode as lighthearted, describing it as “a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh.”

Brigitte Macron’s representatives have strongly denied the claims, insisting she “categorically denied this account” and “never looks at her husband’s mobile phone.”

Golshifteh Farahani, an Iranian actress living in exile, has not commented on the allegations.