France will summon the Iranian ambassador in response to Tehran closing a language school in a fresh diplomatic clash between the two countries.
“This latest attack on France’s cultural presence in Iran – following the assault on two French embassy staff members last July – is unjustifiable and unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said.
The latest row comes two months after Iranian officials briefly detained and expelled two French diplomats. One of them was physically assaulted, the French Foreign Ministry said. France responded by expelling two Iranian diplomats.
French-Iranian relations have been tense for years. Paris led diplomatic efforts to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran last year over its nuclear programme.
Paris has also accused Tehran of detaining foreigners as part of its so-called hostage diplomacy. Two French citizens were able to return to France in April after three and a half years of detention.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that authorities had closed the French language centre following a judicial order from the Tehran prosecutor's office.
Iranian security concerns
The centre operated for years under the “cover” of foreign-language teaching despite repeated warnings to obtain a licence, authorities in Tehran said, accusing it of activities against Iranian culture and national security, including identifying and building networks as well as facilitating the departure of skilled Iranians from the country.
France has previously dismissed such allegations, saying there had been a pattern of intimidation in recent months as Paris sought to increase its support for, and contacts with, Iran's civil society following a crackdown on protests at the start of this year.
Diplomats said Iran has also been irked by a recent social media post from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, which triggered protests across the country.
In response on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the post “crocodile tears” and accused Paris of slaughtering 1.5 million Algerians during the war of independence.
“Your silence when the US massacred our school kids said it all,” he said, referring to a strike in Iran that Tehran believes the US was responsible for.
The two ministers are set to meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly in the US. They will discuss Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear programme.
Iran, its proxies and the future of the US-Iran conflict will be key issues in New York as US President Donald Trump will meet Gulf and other Arab officials.
Speaking on Friday, French president Emmanuel Macron said that it was unlikely that a deal would be struck soon between Iran and the US to reopen the strait.
An initiative launched with the UK in April for a maritime mission to escort commercial ships “depends on the ability to finalise an agreement between Iran and the United States – something that seems unlikely in the short term”, Mr Macron said.
Agencies contributed to this report
