France to summon Iran envoy after language centre closure in Tehran

France will summon Iran's ambassador and take "appropriate measures" after Iranian authorities closed a French-language centre linked to its embassy in Tehran, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

Key points

• In August, Iran's Intelligence Ministry remarked it detained two French diplomats over alleged foreign interference during a national security investigation before handing them over to the French ambassador.
• Iran confirmed on Sunday the closure of the centre it accused of conducting "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions".
• Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.
• It remarked the centre "abused its status as a language training facility" and sought to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure".

"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, " Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux remarked in an official note on Sunday.

"Based on the Tehran prosecutor's office, the illegal centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed, " the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news website remarked, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF).

Notably, the French Foreign Ministry remarked it would "take appropriate measures to respond" and would summon Iran's ambassador in Paris at the request of French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.

Taken together, the developments around france to summon Iran envoy after language centre closure in Tehran point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.