France will expel two Iranian diplomats in the coming days, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on the social network “Ex“, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
His statement comes a day after the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that two employees of the French embassy involved in a diplomatic row in Tehran in July would not be allowed back into Iran.
Last month, the French Foreign Ministry said that the employees had been detained and physically threatened by Iranian security services in Tehran.
Barrot specified that the two had been implementing French programs in support of civil society in Iran, including initiatives related to Iranian scientists and artists. According to him, they were detained for several hours and interrogated, and one of them was mistreated.
After their release, the two officials returned to France.
In a telephone conversation with Barrot, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the actions of the French diplomats as “unacceptable“ and “unprofessional“.
Araghchi stressed that compliance with the laws of the host country and internationally recognized diplomatic principles are a prerequisite for the work of foreign missions.
The latest mutual actions further aggravate diplomatic relations between Paris and Tehran.