The French foreign ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador on Wednesday to formally protest what it described as a “disinformation campaign” orchestrated by Iranian authorities concerning the recent student demonstrations in France. Pascal Confavreux, a spokesperson for the ministry, stated that the misleading content disseminated via official Iranian foreign ministry accounts was “absolutely unacceptable.」
This diplomatic move followed a reciprocal gesture from Tehran the previous day, where Iranian officials summoned French Ambassador Pierre Cochard to discuss the treatment of protesters. Confavreux emphasized that such “undignified provocations must cease.”
Iran has criticized France for its “violent treatment” of demonstrators and alleged “extensive and flagrant human rights violations” during the protests, which intensified last week and resulted in clashes between security forces and crowds. French officials dismissed the Iranian summons of their ambassador as baseless.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have accused French authorities of employing disproportionate force, citing the use of tear gas, blast balls, and batons against demonstrators. Meanwhile, Iran faces its own international scrutiny for its crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year. Rights groups report thousands of deaths in Iran, particularly around January 8-9, while Iranian officials characterize the unrest as riots and highlight casualties among security forces.
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