فرنسا تتوعد إيران بإجراءات بعد إغلاق مركز للغة الفرنسية

France announced that it will summon its Iranian ambassador and take "appropriate measures" following the closure of a French language teaching center affiliated with its embassy in the capital Tehran, in the latest development that increases tensions between the two countries.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux stated in a statement issued on Sunday evening that the closure of the center represents "a new attack on French cultural presence in Iran," following an assault that targeted two French embassy staff in July.

He added that what occurred is "unjustified and unacceptable," emphasizing that Paris will take appropriate measures in response to the Iranian action.

Iran Justifies the Closure of the Center

The semi-official Iranian news agency "Tasnim" reported earlier on Sunday that the authorities closed the French language center based on a court order issued by the Tehran prosecutor's office.

The Iranian authorities stated that the center had been operating for years under the guise of teaching foreign languages, despite repeated warnings that it needed a license to conduct its activities.

Tehran accused the center of engaging in activities it deemed contrary to Iranian culture and related to national security, including identifying individuals and building networks, as well as facilitating the departure of skilled and experienced Iranians from the country.

France has previously rejected these accusations, considering that the past months have witnessed a pattern of pressure and intimidation, while Paris was seeking to enhance its support for Iranian civil society and expand its communications with it, following a crackdown on protests that erupted at the beginning of the year.

Escalating Tensions Between Paris and Tehran

French-Iranian relations have been tense for years, primarily due to the Iranian nuclear program and the detention of several French citizens by Tehran.

Despite a relative improvement in relations following the release of several French citizens and Paris distancing itself from the U.S. war against Iran, relations deteriorated again during the summer after the arrest of two French diplomats and their subsequent expulsion, to which France responded with a similar action.

A recent post by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on social media also sparked outrage in Tehran, as he posted it on the fourth anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, whose death sparked widespread protests across Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the post on Friday, describing Paris's stance as "crocodile tears," and accused France of killing 1.5 million Algerians during the Algerian War of Independence.

Araghchi stated that France's "silence" when the United States killed Iranian children in a school "said it all," referring to a strike that Iran believes the United States was responsible for.

The French and Iranian foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, amid escalating tensions between Paris and Tehran.

These developments come at a time when France is trying to maintain communication channels with Iran, alongside disputes related to the nuclear program, the cases of detained citizens, and the French diplomatic and cultural presence within Iranian territory.