France to expel two Iranian diplomats amid growing 'interference' row

"Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding the move was a consequence of the "intolerable" treatment of the French diplomats who were briefly detained last month in Tehran over accusations of "interference".

Barrot's comments came a day after the Iranian foreign ministry said it had informed France that the two French diplomats would not be allowed to return to Iran.

On 20 July, Barrot said the pair – one of whom was the cultural attache – had been detained and physically intimidated by Iranian security services in Tehran "in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity".

He said they had suffered "an extremely serious act of intimidation" at the hands of Iran's security service, with one of them physically abused.

"It is precisely because France stands shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people, supporting their artists, scientists and researchers, that two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately attacked on 19 July," the foreign minister said on Tuesday.

He had summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires in Paris in protest following the incident.

The Iranian authorities have denied any mistreatment, saying the diplomats had only been briefly questioned and that they had "interfered in Iran's internal affairs under the pretext of engaging with civil society".

Iran faces growing isolation and uncertain future amid 'dire' economic situation

Graphic artists detained

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that the two French staff had violated the Vienna Convention – which defines the rules ​and privileges of diplomatic missions – by engaging in activities ​supporting Iranian civil society.

Iran's intelligence ministry has said an initial probe showed the pair were "planning and designing a vast scheme aimed at exerting influence and engaging in foreign interference" to undermine Iran's independence.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement that "the Iranian authorities have chosen to make completely false accusations against our agents and to fabricate a case of interference to justify their actions".

On Monday, supporters of two prominent Iranian graphic design artists – Aria Kasaei, 46, and Elly Naghilou, 36 – told AFP the two were also arrested on 19 July during a meeting with the French diplomats to discuss a cultural project, Villa Zadig, and have been held ever since.

Barrot did not make any reference to the Iranians' arrests in his post on Tuesday.

The meeting took place at Kasaei's home in Tehran and the designers were working the visual identity for Villa Zadig, the supporters said in a statement.

They called for the two designers to have access to an independent lawyer and for their "safety and fundamental rights to be guaranteed".

They added that as "two French representatives directly witnessed part of these events" Paris should "fully establish the circumstances of these arrests" and "take every necessary step to guarantee their rights, safety and release".

Rights groups say Iranian authorities have ratcheted up a crackdown against civil society in the wake of January protests that rocked the clerical leadership and the subsequent US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

Earlier this month, more than 30 countries, including France, condemned Iran's use of capital punishment, saying Tehran was executing protesters to "silence dissent". 

(with newswires)