On 23 August, Iran warned France that the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats would further worsen relations between Tehran and Paris.
According to the Tasnim news agency, a spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Bakai, made these remarks during a joint press conference with the head of Iran’s Organisation for Social Affairs.
Bakai described France’s decision as unjustified and warned of devastating consequences for bilateral relations.
The dispute began in July when the Iranian authorities detained two French embassy staff members in Tehran. France stated that they had been attending a meeting linked to the Villa Zadig cultural exchange programme and accused Iran of violating their diplomatic privileges. Iran rejected these allegations, accusing the French staff of subversive activities, ordered them to leave the country and declared them persona non grata.
In response, on 18 August, France expelled two Iranian diplomats.
Bakai also accused Western countries of using civil society and non-governmental organisations as tools to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.