Iran summons French ambassador over ‘interference’ in internal affairs

Iran said on Monday that it summoned the French ambassador over “interference” by French diplomats in the country’s internal affairs.

At a news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the ambassador was summoned on Sunday and told that France must halt such activities under what he called “misleading labels,” including “promoting human rights” and “supporting civil society.”

“The party that should apologize to Iran is the French side,” Baghaei added.

He accused two French diplomats of carrying out activities “under the cover of a diplomatic mission and the embassy” that he said were not justified under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

In response, the French Foreign Ministry said: “The facts are clear. We refer you to our previous statements on this matter. We do not comment on Iranian provocations.”

On Thursday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said two French diplomats who were “attacked” in Iran returned to Paris after an “extremely serious” and “premeditated” incident.

Barrot said the diplomats were “under shock” after being “brutally arrested in a private place” by Iranian security officers. He said they were “detained for nearly four hours” without access to communication devices or the embassy and were subjected to “intimidation.”