Iran Rejects French Allegations Over Embassy Staff, Accuses Paris of Diplomatic Violations

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has rejected as “false and baseless” allegations by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot that two employees of the French Embassy in Tehran were intimidated by Iranian authorities. Mohammad Tanhaei, head of the ministry’s Second Department for Western Europe, said the two French nationals had attended a meeting on July 19 with several individuals under investigation on security-related charges and were briefly questioned after security personnel discovered documents allegedly linked to anti-security activities.

Tanhaei said that once Iranian authorities confirmed the individuals were affiliated with the French Embassy, they were transferred to the Diplomatic Police headquarters. He added that, following coordination with Iran’s Foreign Ministry and after the two employees contacted the French ambassador, they were handed over to the embassy. He also denied claims that the pair had been assaulted, insisting the allegations were unfounded.

The Iranian official argued that the actions of the two French embassy employees violated Iranian law and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He accused France of pursuing an interventionist approach by claiming its diplomats were supporting Iran’s “civil society” and questioned whether such activities fall within the internationally recognized responsibilities of diplomatic missions. Tanhaei urged the French government to avoid interference in Iran’s internal affairs and base its relations with Tehran on established principles of international diplomacy.