France will summon Iran’s ambassador and take appropriate action after Iranian authorities shut down a French-language center linked to the French embassy in Tehran, the French Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
“This latest attack on France’s cultural presence in Iran, coming after two French embassy staff members were assaulted last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement.
Relations between France and Iran have been tense for years, largely because of Tehran’s nuclear program and the detention of several French citizens in Iran.
Bilateral ties briefly improved after those nationals were released and Paris distanced itself from the US war against Iran. But tensions escalated again over the summer when two French diplomats were arrested and later expelled. France responded by expelling Iranian diplomats.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier Sunday that the French language center had been closed under a judicial order issued by the Tehran prosecutor’s office.
Iran cites security concerns
Iranian authorities said the center had operated for years under the guise of providing foreign-language instruction despite repeated warnings to secure a license. They accused it of acting against Iranian culture and national security by identifying and developing networks and helping skilled Iranians leave the country.
France has previously rejected those allegations, saying it had faced a pattern of intimidation in recent months as Paris worked to strengthen its support for and engagement with Iranian civil society after a crackdown on protests earlier this year.
Diplomats said Tehran was also angered by a recent social media post from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot commemorating the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, which sparked protests across Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded Friday by describing the post as “crocodile tears” and accusing France of killing 1.5 million Algerians during Algeria’s war of independence.
“Your silence when the US massacred our schoolkids said it all,” Araqchi said, referring to a strike in Iran that Tehran believes was carried out by the United States.
The two foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations’ annual gathering of world leaders.
