France has accused Iran of “bloodshed” due to the increasing number of executions. This has led to heightened tensions between senior diplomats following the publication of an international statement condemning the use of the death penalty in Iran. Paris accused Tehran of “bloodshed”, while Tehran, in turn, called France’s position “blatant hypocrisy”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot sharply criticized Iran’s actions in a post on the X platform, writing: “Seven months after the large-scale atrocities against the Iranian people who revolted, demanding justice and dignity, this regime continues its bloodshed by carrying out more and more executions”. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed Paris’ leading role in the campaign to condemn executions in Iran, noting that after the initial signing of the statement by 26 countries and the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, additional states joined, bringing the total number of signatories to 32.
Iran accuses France of ‘double standards’
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi firmly rejected the criticism and accused the French government of applying double standards. Araghchi wrote on the X platform: “Countries like France should stop lecturing the world about ‘human rights’ and international law. This hypocrisy is blatant and shameful”. The Iranian foreign minister added: “Your support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and aggression against Iran has destroyed any moral superiority you imagined”.
The diplomatic tension arose after the publication of a joint statement on Wednesday. More than 30 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy, along with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, condemned in “the strongest terms” Iran’s use of the death penalty against protesters. The statement said that the Islamic Republic is executing protesters in an attempt to “silence dissent”. The signatories noted: “The use of the death penalty to intimidate communities and punish people for exercising their human rights is unjustifiable under any circumstances, and the people of Iran must be able to freely exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear”. The signatory countries called on Tehran to immediately halt the executions and release the detainees.
Increased repression and international warnings
This confrontation comes amid increasing warnings from the United Nations and human rights groups about a new wave of executions in Iran. The latest wave of arrests and court sentences began in late December 2025, when the protest movement, initially focused on economic hardships, rapid inflation, high cost of living, and rising prices, grew into large-scale anti-government demonstrations.
Although Iranian officials reported that more than 3,000 people were killed and attributed the violence to “terrorist actions” organized by the United States and Israel, human rights groups outside Iran reported significantly higher casualty figures and stated that security forces opened fire on protesters. Meanwhile, a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, which marked the beginning of a new war in the Middle East, further intensified security measures. According to observers, the number of arrests and executions related to the military conflict and protests has increased since then.
The United Nations and human rights groups have expressed concern over the escalation of judicial measures, citing the lack of fair trials and the obtaining of forced confessions. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated in early August that Tehran is using executions to “spread fear and terror”. He reported that since March 19, at least 56 people have been executed on charges related to national security, while more than 100 others remain under threat of execution. According to Amnesty International, Iran executed more than 2,150 people last year, placing it second after China among countries worldwide in the number of death penalty applications.
Source: Euronews
