France has announced it will summon Iran’s ambassador and implement retaliatory measures after Iranian judicial authorities ordered the closure of a French language center in Tehran. The French Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday that the shutdown constitutes an unacceptable attack on France’s cultural presence in the country.
Pascal Confavreux, a spokesperson for the ministry, described the decision as unjustifiable. He linked the closure to a broader pattern of hostility, noting that it follows the physical assault of two embassy staff members last July.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian state media reported that prosecutors had closed the French Language Center (CLF), which operated under the guise of language instruction for years. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency accused the center of violating diplomatic conventions and abusing its status. Authorities alleged that the facility was used to identify and build networks among Iran’s elite while facilitating their emigration.
Paris has previously rejected these allegations. French officials argue that Tehran has been engaging in a campaign of intimidation as France seeks to strengthen ties with Iranian civil society following the nationwide protests that erupted earlier this year.
Diplomatic tensions between the two nations have escalated significantly in recent months. Last month, France expelled two Iranian diplomats after two French envoys were briefly detained and barred from leaving the Islamic Republic. Tehran accused the diplomats of interfering in its internal affairs.
Further friction arose after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot posted on social media commemorating the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, an event that sparked massive protests across Iran. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the gesture as
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