Iran warns France against interference in internal affairs

Iran and France have been drawn into a fresh diplomatic confrontation, with Tehran warning Paris against what it describes as “illegal interference” in Iran’s internal affairs following allegations involving two French diplomats.

Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Saturday that the two diplomats had participated in a secret meeting in Tehran in July with suspects in a case involving alleged foreign infiltration and interference. The ministry claimed the officials had accumulated a record of violations and conduct it said breached Iranian law and their diplomatic obligations.

Tehran warned that it would not tolerate foreign diplomats engaging in what it called “illegal interventionist” activities, adding that any repetition could invite an appropriate response.

The warning comes after France accused Iranian security forces of detaining and mistreating the two diplomats in Tehran. French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the officials were held for several hours without explanation, interrogated and, in one case, physically assaulted. They subsequently returned to France.

Barrot described the incident as a grave and unacceptable act, particularly because the two officials were involved in French programmes supporting Iranian civil society, including initiatives for artists and scientists. He said France was assessing possible responses and had summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Paris.

The episode has since hardened the already strained tone between the two governments. Tehran maintains that the diplomats’ conduct was inconsistent with diplomatic norms, while Paris insists that its officials were carrying out legitimate diplomatic duties.

The dispute also comes against the backdrop of wider tensions between Iran and Western powers. France has been closely involved in efforts to address the broader regional crisis, including questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme, regional security and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

For now, the diplomatic standoff remains wrapped in competing accusations, with Tehran drawing a red line around what it considers interference and Paris weighing how forcefully to respond. The latest exchange threatens to add another layer of friction to already fragile relations between Iran and France.

With IANS inputs