French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot reported on Monday that two employees of the French embassy were victims of an “extremely serious act of intimidation” by Iranian security services in Iran the day before, being held and interrogated for hours.
According to him, one of them was also subjected to physical violence.
In his statement, Minister Barrot noted that Iranian officials pursued the two diplomats late Sunday evening in “a blatant violation of diplomatic immunity.”
Both were “unjustifiably detained for several hours, interrogated, and one of them subjected to physical violence” before they could return to the embassy, he said.
The diplomats are currently safe and are expected to return to France within a few hours, Barrot added.
“The attack is all the more shocking given that these two officials oversee our programs to support civil society, including Iranian artists and scientists.”
France’s reaction and warning to Iran
France’s top diplomat warned his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the “serious and unacceptable” incident “cannot remain without consequences.”
Last week, Barrot confirmed that European sanctions against Iran would not be lifted unless Tehran abandons its nuclear program and the destabilizing activities in the region that Paris refers to.
Source: France 24
