Iranian judicial authorities have shut a French language centre in Tehran linked to the French Embassy, accusing it of “illegal activities”, including operating without a licence and facilitating the departure of talented Iranians.
The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office ordered the French Language Centre (CLF) to be sealed on Sunday, saying the French Embassy had received repeated warnings from local authorities to obtain an operating licence in accordance with Iranian laws and regulations but had failed to do so.
According to a statement carried by Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency, the centre’s activities “extended beyond language instruction”, with authorities accusing it of using educational programmes as a cover for projects they said were “contrary to the Iranian-Islamic culture and national security”.
“It was involved in identifying and networking of individuals and facilitating the departure of talented Iranians from the country,” the statement charged.
The closure marks the latest diplomatic dispute between Tehran and Paris, following tensions over prisoners and the reciprocal expulsion of diplomatic staff and cultural attachés.
It also comes amid wider tensions between Iran and several European countries, including Sweden and Germany, involving the summoning of ambassadors over remarks by senior officials and diplomats being declared persona non grata.
France, along with Germany, the UK and the U.S., recently put forward a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors concerning Iran’s nuclear programme. The resolution requested that Iran be reported to the UN Security Council and General Assembly.
The latest Tehran-Paris dispute comes after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday hit back at human rights allegations made by his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, criticising France over what he described as its silence following the killing of Iranian schoolchildren in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
“Stop your crocodile tears. Your silence when the U.S. massacred our schoolkids said it all,” he said in a post on X, addressing Barrot.
Araghchi has travelled to New York to attend the UN General Assembly and is expected to discuss bilateral issues and regional developments with counterparts, including Barrot, on the sidelines of the gathering.
Read more:
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
A tenth-grade student was critically injured after a man attacked her with a chainsaw inside a classroom in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The girl suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and back, while a classmate who tried to protect her was also hurt.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. No casualties were reported.
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public records, a Kabul Institute report released on 22 October said. The United Nations says its oversight systems ensure accountability.
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan surged by 330 per cent in 2026 despite a four-year ban, the United Nations said on Thursday. Afghan authorities disputed the findings, while Japan urged continued support for farmers seeking alternative livelihoods.
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
Central Asia could gain up to $640 million a year from closer energy cooperation, but strained electricity grids threaten to limit those gains, with Kazakhstan particularly exposed to regional power shortages and growing pressure on its network.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment