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Iran slams France’s decision to expel diplomats as unjustifiable
Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that France’s decision to expel two Iranian diplomats is “not justifiable”, describing it as a reaction to a “completely legal and consistent with international law” measure taken by Iran.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned that such actions would be damaging to the relations between Tehran and Paris.
On August 18, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot declared two employees of the Iranian Embassy in France persona non grata in response to what he called the “extremely serious attack” committed by the Iranian security services against two employees of the French Embassy in Iran on July 19.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared two French diplomats working at the French Embassy in Tehran persona non grata over activities deemed contrary to international law and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The French diplomats were briefly detained in Tehran after they were found at a meeting linked to a security investigation.
France accused Iranian security forces of mistreating the diplomats, while Tehran rejected the allegations and said they had been questioned over “unconventional” conduct.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said the two diplomats had “extensive records of violations and conduct contrary to domestic laws and diplomatic obligations.”
Baqaei said on Sunday that the activities of two French diplomats in Iran constituted “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs.
“We acted as soon as we felt that the French Embassy in Tehran had acted beyond its responsibilities and what is stipulated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and that their actions constituted interference in Iran’s internal affairs,” he told reporters.
He said Iran had formally announced that the two diplomats must leave the country and would not be allowed to return.