Iran summons French envoy after Tehran lodged a strong protest against what it described as France’s interference in Iran’s internal affairs. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the French ambassador was called in over the activities of two French diplomats based in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said during a weekly press briefing that the French ambassador was summoned to convey Tehran’s concerns. He said Iranian officials demanded that France stop what they called interference under misleading justifications.
According to Baghaei, the two French diplomats were allegedly involved in contacts with civil society groups in a manner that Iran considered interference in its domestic matters. He claimed such activities were not acceptable under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The Iranian official said Tehran had made its position clear and warned against actions that could affect diplomatic relations between the two countries. Iran has repeatedly accused foreign governments of attempting to influence its internal affairs.
The dispute follows an incident on July 20, when Iranian security forces detained two French diplomats for several hours and questioned them before allowing them to return to the French Embassy.
One of the detained diplomats later alleged that he was physically mistreated during the detention. The claim increased tensions between Tehran and Paris, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot describing the incident as a serious act of intimidation.
France has expressed concern over the treatment of its diplomats and called for clarification from Iranian authorities. The latest diplomatic dispute adds another challenge to relations between Iran and European countries amid wider regional tensions.
