PARIS: France will summon Iran’s ambassador and take unspecified measures after Iranian authorities sealed a French language centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, the French Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux described the closure as another blow to France’s cultural presence in Iran, following an incident involving two French embassy staff members in July.
“This new attack against France’s cultural presence in Iran, following the assault on two staff members of the French embassy last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable,” Confavreux said in a statement.
Iranian authorities said the Centre de Langue Française was shut under a judicial order. Tehran accused the centre of operating without the required licence despite repeated warnings.
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Iranian authorities also alleged that the centre had used language-teaching activities to build networks, identify individuals and facilitate the departure of skilled Iranians from the country.
Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats after Tehran briefly detained and barred two French envoys from the Islamic Republic. Iran accused the French diplomats of “interfering in the country’s internal affairs”.
