Iran closed the French Language Center (CLF) in Tehran based on an order from the prosecutor's office. This center had been operating for years under the guise of language education, and Iranian officials accused it of engaging in "illegal activities that violate diplomatic conventions."
France's Reaction to the Closure of the Language Center
The French Foreign Ministry stated in a statement: "This new attack on France's cultural presence in Iran, following the attack on two French embassy staff last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable." The ministry's spokesperson, Pascal Cafaro, made these remarks on Sunday.
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The closure of the French language center in Tehran comes at a time when tensions between Iran and France have increased in recent years. France had previously expelled two Iranian diplomats after a brief detention and the prohibition of two French representatives in the Islamic Republic. Tehran accused these diplomats of interfering in its internal affairs.
Iran's Claims and Reactions
The Iranian prosecutor's office accused the French language center of abusing its status as a language education institution and claimed that the center was seeking to identify and create a network among prominent individuals in the country. These accusations have been rejected by France. France believes that it has witnessed a pattern of threats and intimidation in recent months as it has sought to increase support and engagement with Iran's civil society, especially following the crackdown on protests earlier this year.
On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, reacted to a social media post by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barot, which was published on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, calling it "crocodile tears." He also accused France of killing 1.5 million Algerians during the Algerian War of Independence.
The two ministers are scheduled to meet on Tuesday at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.
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