Iran has summoned France’s ambassador to Tehran to lodge a strong protest over what it described as French interference in its internal affairs.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the ambassador was summoned over the activities of two French diplomats stationed in Tehran.
During the meeting, Iranian officials urged the French government to immediately cease what they called interference in Iran’s domestic affairs under “misleading pretexts.”
Baghaei alleged that the two French diplomats were using contacts with civil society as a cover to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.
He further claimed that their activities were not permissible under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The development follows an incident on 20 July, when Iranian security forces detained the two French diplomats and questioned them for several hours before allowing them to return to the French embassy.
One of the diplomats later alleged that he was