French foreign minister accuses Iran of detaining embassy staff, cites ‘intimidation’

France’s foreign minister on Monday accused Iranian security services of detaining two French Embassy staffers in Tehran, calling the incident an "extremely serious act of intimidation."

"On Sunday evening, two agents of the French Embassy in Iran were the target of an extremely serious act of intimidation by the Iranian security services, in blatant violation of the diplomatic immunities from which they benefit," Jean-Noel Barrot said on US social media platform X.

He said the two embassy staff members were "detained without reason for several hours" and "questioned," adding that "one of them was physically assaulted."

According to Barrot, the two agents later "were able to return to the embassy, where they are now safe while awaiting their return to France in the coming hours."

Barrot said the two officials were involved in French programs supporting Iranian civil society, "particularly Iranian artists and scientists."

He also said he had informed Iran's foreign minister that "this extremely serious and unacceptable violation of the integrity of our agents cannot remain without consequences."

As yet there has been no Iranian response to the French allegations.