A deepening diplomatic rift between France and Iran escalated sharply this week, after French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced Tuesday that Paris would expel two Iranian diplomats stationed in France. The move comes as direct retaliation for Iran’s decision to ban two French diplomats from its Tehran embassy, a step Iran took following the brief detention of the envoys last month over allegations of improper interference in Iranian internal affairs.
In a public post on the social platform X, Barrot confirmed that the two Iranian diplomats would be expelled from French territory in the coming days. He framed the decision as a direct response to what he called the “intolerable” treatment of the French diplomats, who were taken into custody and questioned by Iranian security officials for several hours on July 19. Barrot emphasized that the detention and interrogation constituted a blatant violation of long-established international standards of diplomatic immunity.
The French foreign minister further alleged that the two envoys, one of whom served as France’s cultural attaché in Tehran, were subjected to severe intimidation tactics at the hands of Iran’s security services, with one diplomat reporting physical abuse during detention. Barrot argued that the attack on the diplomats was a deliberate response to France’s longstanding support for Iranian civilians, including artists, scientists and academic researchers working within the country.
“It is precisely because France stands shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people, supporting their artists, scientists and researchers, that two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately attacked on 19 July,” Barrot said in his statement.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly rejected France’s claims of mistreatment, asserting that the diplomats were only held for a short period of questioning and that their actions clearly constituted interference in Iran’s domestic politics under the cover of engaging with local civil society groups. On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry formally notified France that the two French diplomats would not be permitted to re-enter the country to resume their posts. A preliminary investigation by Iran’s intelligence ministry concluded the pair were developing a wide-ranging influence campaign aimed at undermining Iranian national sovereignty.
The July 19 meeting that sparked the diplomatic crisis also led to the arrest of two prominent Iranian graphic artists, 46-year-old Aria Kasaei and 36-year-old Elly Naghilou, who have remained in detention since the encounter. Supporters of the artists confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Monday that the designers were arrested at Kasaei’s Tehran home while meeting with the French diplomats to discuss development of visual branding for Villa Zadig, an upcoming French-backed cultural project.
In a formal statement, the artists’ supporters called on Iranian authorities to grant the pair access to independent legal representation and guarantee their safety and protection of fundamental human rights. The statement also noted that French diplomats witnessed part of the arrest process, and called on the French government to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of the detention and take all necessary action to secure the artists’ safety and eventual release. Barrot did not reference the arrests of the Iranian artists in his Tuesday public statement.
International human rights organizations have documented a growing crackdown on civil society activity across Iran since large-scale anti-government protests shook the country’s clerical leadership in January, a crackdown that has accelerated amid escalating regional tensions following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.