Diplomatic tensions between Paris and Tehran escalated after the two countries declared each other’s diplomats persona non grata. France decided to expel two diplomats serving at Iran’s Embassy in Paris, while Iran banned two French diplomats from entering the country.
The French Foreign Ministry said the decision was based on Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The ministry described an alleged attack on two employees of the French Embassy in Tehran on July 19 as “an extremely serious attack” and argued that the incident constituted a clear violation of the Vienna Convention and international law.
The ministry also claimed that Iranian authorities had leveled “baseless accusations” against employees of the French Embassy instead of investigating the circumstances of the attack.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the two French employees had been subjected to a “deliberate and blatant attack” on July 19 because France stood with the Iranian people and Iranian artists, scientists and researchers. Barrot said the attack would not go unanswered and announced that two Iranian diplomats would be expelled in the coming days.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced on August 15 that two French diplomats had been detained at a secret meeting location as part of an investigation related to national security. Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared the two French diplomats persona non grata and banned them from entering the country, accusing them of violating international law and the Vienna Convention and engaging in “illegal conduct.”
