Iran Summons French Ambassador Over Alleged Interference in Internal Affairs

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the French Ambassador in Tehran on Sunday to protest the actions of two French diplomats who were briefly detained by authorities earlier this month. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei announced the summons on Monday, stating that the French government must cease such actions and stop interfering in Iran’s internal affairs under misleading pretexts. Baghaei asserted that the two diplomats had meddled in Iran’s domestic matters under the guise of interacting with civil society, an act he described as completely unjustifiable under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The diplomatic row escalated after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on 20 July that the two diplomats were targeted by Iranian authorities, describing their treatment as a very serious act of intimidation by the security forces of the Islamic Republic. Barrot stated the diplomats were detained for several hours without reason, interrogated, and one suffered physical violence before being allowed to return to the French Embassy. In response, the French Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Paris on 21 July to protest the violation of diplomatic conventions. An Iranian foreign ministry official, Mohammad Tanhaei, denied any mistreatment or intimidation on 22 July, claiming the diplomats were questioned after being found meeting with individuals under investigation by Tehran authorities for security-related matters.