France has announced the detention of its diplomats in Iran
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barro reported that staff members of the French Embassy in Iran were detained and interrogated by representatives of the Iranian intelligence services.
According to him, the French diplomats had diplomatic immunity, but this did not prevent Iranian security forces from detaining them and interrogating them.
Barro reported that on the evening of July 19, two staff members of the French Embassy in Iran “were subjected to extremely harsh intimidation” by Iranian intelligence services, which constituted a gross violation of their diplomatic immunity.
“After being detained for several hours without cause, interrogated, and—in the case of one of them—subjected to the use of force, they were finally able to return to the embassy, where they are safe and awaiting their return to France in the coming hours. This treatment is particularly shocking given that these two staff members are involved in our programs supporting civil society, including Iranian artists and scholars,” stated the French Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Barro noted that he spoke with the diplomats after the incident and thanked them for their courageous work.
On Sunday evening, two staff members of the French Embassy in Iran were subjected to an extremely serious act of intimidation by Iranian security services, in flagrant violation of the diplomatic immunities they enjoy.
They were detained without cause for several…— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) July 20, 2026
“I also informed the Iranian foreign minister that such a serious and unacceptable violation of our staff’s inviolability cannot go unpunished,” the foreign minister added, without specifying what retaliatory measures Paris is considering.
The French foreign minister posted a statement on his X account.
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