Tensions Between France and Iran Escalate as Paris Expels Two Iranian Diplomats

France has decided to expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days, deepening the diplomatic clash with Tehran.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the measure in a post on the X platform. According to him, the decision was taken in response to an incident recorded last month in Tehran, where Iranian authorities detained two employees of the French embassy.

Paris’s announcement came a day after Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared that the two French embassy employees in Tehran involved in the confrontation would not be allowed to return to Iran.

French authorities claim that last month the embassy employees were detained and threatened by members of Iran’s security forces. France has described the incident as unacceptable and a violation of diplomatic immunity.

Tehran, for its part, claims that the two French citizens were engaged in activities supporting Iranian civil society. According to Iranian authorities, such activity constitutes interference in the country’s internal affairs and a violation of the Vienna Convention.

The reciprocal measures against diplomatic personnel point to a further deterioration in relations between France and Iran.