France has pledged to take appropriate measures and summon Iran's ambassador after Iranian authorities closed a French language center affiliated with its embassy in Tehran, the French Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.
"This new attack against France's cultural presence in Iran, following the assault on two staff members of the French embassy last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable," ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said in a statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian authorities announced the closure of the French Language Center (CLF) in Tehran, citing a judicial order from the prosecutor's office. "The illegal center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed," the judiciary's Mizan news website reported.
The Iranian judiciary accused the center of "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions" and of having "abused its status as a language training facility" to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure." France has previously dismissed such allegations, claiming a pattern of intimidation as it seeks to increase support for Iran's civil society following the crackdown on protests earlier this year.
Tensions between Tehran and Paris have been escalating in recent years. Last month, France expelled two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief detention and prohibition of two French envoys to the Islamic Republic. Tehran accused the diplomats of interfering in its internal affairs.
Diplomats said Iran was also upset by a recent social media post from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot commemorating the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, which sparked nationwide protests. In response, on Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called the post "crocodile tears" and accused Paris of slaughtering 1.5 million Algerians during Algeria's war of independence.
The two ministers are scheduled to meet on Tuesday at the United Nations' annual gathering of world leaders.
Source: www.dw.com