World News
Iran condemns French expulsion of two diplomats as illegal
Tehran and Paris are locked in a diplomatic dispute following the brief detention of French officials in Iran last month.
The short version
- Iran's foreign ministry has condemned France's decision to expel two Iranian diplomats, calling the move illegal and unhelpful to bilateral relations.
- France announced the expulsions in response to Iran's refusal to allow two French diplomats back into the country following their brief detention in Tehran in July.
- The dispute has escalated tensions, with France accusing Iran of serious intimidation and Iran demanding an apology from Paris.
Key facts
- Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, characterized the French decision to expel two Iranian diplomats as an illegal act.[France 24]
- France ordered the expulsions in retaliation for Tehran barring two French diplomats from returning to Iranian territory.[France 24]
- The two French diplomats had been briefly arrested in Tehran in July over allegations of interfering in Iran's internal affairs, which Iran claims violated the Vienna Convention.[France 24]
- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated the French diplomats suffered an extremely serious act of intimidation by Iranian security services and that their treatment flagrantly violated diplomatic immunity.[France 24]