Tehran rejects French claim of intimidation against embassy staff

Mohammad Tanhaei, director of the Second Western Europe Department at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s allegations concerning the alleged intimidation of embassy employees in Tehran.

Tanhaei said that, according to reports from relevant authorities, two French nationals met on Sunday with several security fugitives who were under investigation and were briefly questioned by security officials.

He added that several documents indicating anti-security activities were found at the site and are currently being examined by the relevant authorities.

Rejecting the French foreign minister’s claim that the two individuals had been assaulted, Tanhaei said law enforcement officers transferred them to the diplomatic police headquarters after discovering their affiliation with the French embassy in Tehran.

Following coordination with Iran’s Foreign Ministry and contact with the French ambassador, the two individuals were handed over to the embassy, he said.

Tanhaei further said the conduct of the two French embassy staff members violated the laws of the host country as well as the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

He said the French foreign minister’s claim that the two staff members had been involved in activities to support civil society amounted to confirmation of what he described as France’s interference in Iran—conduct that, he argued, is inconsistent with the normal functions of diplomatic missions.

France, Tanhaei said, should clarify under which international legal instrument governing diplomatic and consular relations its alleged support for civil society in the host country is permissible.

“The French government should not interfere in Iran and must adjust its policies toward Iran in accordance with the established rules governing relations between states,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Barrot issued a statement claiming that two French diplomats in Tehran had been detained and mistreated. He said the diplomats were responsible for developing cultural contacts with the Iranian people and scientists.

The French Foreign Ministry also summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Paris on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, described the conduct of the two French diplomats in Tehran as unacceptable and called on Paris to prevent any recurrence of actions inconsistent with diplomatic norms.

Araghchi stressed that compliance with the laws and regulations of the host country, as well as internationally recognized diplomatic principles, is essential for the continued operation of foreign diplomatic missions.

He also called on the French government to take the necessary measures to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.