Iran summons French ambassador over diplomats accused of meddling in internal affairs

Iran summoned the French ambassador in Tehran this week over allegations that two French diplomats interfered in the country’s internal affairs.

A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the ambassador was called in specifically to address the conduct of the two diplomats stationed in Tehran. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting emphasized that the French government must halt what he described as interference in Iran’s domestic affairs carried out under misleading pretexts.

Baghaei said both diplomats had been using contact with civil society groups as cover for activities that amounted to meddling in Iran’s internal matters, and argued that their conduct had no legal basis under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The dispute stems from an incident on July 20, when Iranian security forces detained the two French diplomats and questioned them for several hours before allowing them to return to the French embassy. One of the diplomats later alleged that he was subjected to physical mistreatment while in custody.

French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot condemned the episode, describing it as an extremely serious act of intimidation.

The incident adds to a period of heightened friction between Iran and Western governments, as Tehran remains locked in a broader standoff with the United States and its allies over its nuclear program and regional activities, a dynamic that has repeatedly spilled over into diplomatic disputes with European nations in recent months.