France to summon Iran’s ambassador over closure of Tehran centre — Daily Maverick
France will summon Iran’s ambassador and consider appropriate measures after the closure in Tehran of a French language centre linked to the French embassy. This was reported by Daily Maverick.
France’s response
French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavre said the closure of the centre was a new attack on France’s cultural presence in Iran. He also recalled the attack on two employees of the French embassy in July and called Tehran’s actions unjustified and unacceptable.
Semi-official Iranian agency Tasnim reported that the centre was closed under a court order issued by the Tehran prosecutor’s office. Iranian authorities said the institution had operated for years under the cover of teaching foreign languages, despite repeated warnings that it needed to obtain a licence.
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Accusations and diplomatic tensions
The Iranian side also accused the centre of activities against Iranian culture and national security, including building networks of contacts and facilitating the departure of qualified Iranians from the country. France had previously rejected these claims, saying pressure had intensified in recent months amid its support for and contacts with Iran’s civil society following the suppression of protests earlier this year.
Relations between Paris and Tehran remain tense over Iran’s nuclear programme and the detention of French citizens. In the summer, two French diplomats were arrested and later expelled from Iran, after which France responded with a similar move. Diplomats also said Iran was dissatisfied with a post by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot marking the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. Barrot and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are due to meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN.
