Kathmandu
France has decided to expel two Iranian diplomats from the country. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on social media platform X on Tuesday that the two Iranian diplomats currently in France will be expelled in the coming days.
The decision comes in response to an incident in July in which Iranian security officials detained, questioned and threatened two employees of the French Embassy in Tehran. France described the incident as a violation of diplomatic immunity and an “extremely serious and premeditated” act.
Earlier, Iran had also decided not to allow the two French Embassy employees to return to Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused them of engaging in activities supporting Iranian civil society in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The French Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations, calling the charges against its employees “completely false.” According to France, the employees were involved in programs supporting Iranian civil society, including students, artists and scientists.
On July 20, Foreign Minister Barrot said Iranian security forces had held the two French employees for several hours and questioned them, with one of them allegedly subjected to physical abuse. At the time, he warned that Iran would face consequences for the incident.
The expulsion decision comes amid growing tensions between France and Iran and is expected to further strain relations between the two countries.
