France is set to expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris has described as a “deliberate assault” on two French embassy staff in Tehran last month, escalating tensions between the two countries.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the diplomats would be expelled “in the very near future”, after Iranian authorities detained two French embassy employees on 19 July.
“I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. And so it has,” Barrot said in a post on X.
France said the two embassy staff were detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services during the July incident. Barrot subsequently summoned Iran's chargé d'affaires in Paris to protest.
The latest move came a day after Tehran announced that the two French employees would not be allowed to return to Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said two French Embassy employees had been declared persona non grata for allegedly breaching the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by carrying out activities supporting Iranian civil society.
In a statement late on Tuesday, the ministry said the two had engaged in “activities that violate international law” and criticised France for failing to take action after the alleged conduct was exposed, as reported by IRNA.
It said the employees would be barred from entering Iran, adding that their actions had not been corrected despite several weeks passing since the allegations emerged.
The convention sets out the rights and responsibilities of diplomats and diplomatic missions, including protections intended to allow them to carry out their official duties.
France has strongly rejected Tehran's allegations.
“The Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions,” French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Pascal Confavreux said.
Paris has described the detention as an unacceptable attack on diplomatic personnel, while Iran has accused the French employees of involvement in a foreign influence operation.
Tehran later said the diplomats were detained as part of an investigation into alleged “foreign influence and interference” targeting Iran's independence.
The European Union has also condemned the incident, adding pressure on Tehran amid already strained relations with European governments.
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