In response to the Iranian regime’s decision to declare two former employees of the French Embassy in Tehran “persona non grata,” France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats from Paris.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s foreign minister, announced that the country will soon expel two Iranian diplomats from France in a reciprocal move.
The decision came after the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry declared two former employees of the French Embassy in Tehran “persona non grata” over what it described as “activities contrary to international law, particularly the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” and said they would not be allowed to return to Iran.
The Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry had previously protested what it called the “unconventional conduct of two French diplomats” without disclosing their names or positions, and said they had been expelled from Iran.
The French Embassy responded by stating that the two employees’ assignments had ended and that they had already been preparing to leave Iran.
However, it has emerged in recent days that the two individuals worked in the cultural section of the French Embassy and had apparently met with two Iranian graphic designers in connection with a cultural project. Those two graphic designers have remained in detention ever since.
With France’s decision to expel two Iranian diplomats, the diplomatic tensions between Paris and the Iranian regime have entered a new phase.
The detention of two Iranian graphic designers
Earlier, the families and relatives of the two Iranian graphic designers detained by the Iranian regime called on the French government to intervene to clarify their situation and secure their release. The two designers were arrested by the regime’s intelligence authorities last July after meeting with French diplomats.
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the relatives of the two graphic designers said in a statement that 46-year-old Aria Kasaei and 36-year-old Elaheh Naghilou have been detained since July 19. They say the arrests took place shortly after the two artists met with two French diplomats.
Tehran is pushing its relations with Paris toward crisis while experiencing growing regional and international isolation. It appears that Tehran welcomes tensions in its international relations, as such confrontations serve as a cover for the Iranian regime’s internal crises.
