Why Iran Shut a French Language Centre in Tehran
The two countries have also remained at odds over Iran’s nuclear programme, the detention of French nationals in Iran and broader disputes over Tehran’s regional and foreign policies.
Iran has closed a French language centre affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, accusing the facility of operating without the required authorisation and carrying out activities that Iranian authorities said went beyond language education.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Sunday that the centre had continued operating despite repeated warnings to obtain a licence.
Iranian authorities alleged that the facility was being used for cultural activities they described as “anti-Iranian-Islamic” and claimed it had sought to build networks among Iranian elites and facilitate their departure from the country.
The allegations come as relations between Iran and France have faced renewed strain in recent months.
On July 19, two employees of the French embassy in Tehran, including the cultural attaché, were detained by Iranian security forces, according to French officials. The staff members were reportedly questioned for several hours and allegedly subjected to physical abuse.
Paris condemned the incident as a “flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity” and described it as an act of intimidation.
Iran, however, accused the French personnel of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and alleged that their activities in support of Iranian civil society were inconsistent with the Vienna Convention.
The diplomatic dispute escalated further in August, when Iran declared two French diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country.
In response, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced on August 19 that France would expel two Iranian diplomats, saying the move was a reciprocal response to Tehran’s decision.
The two countries have also remained at odds over Iran’s nuclear programme, the detention of French nationals in Iran and broader disputes over Tehran’s regional and foreign policies.
The closure of the language centre adds another point of tension between Tehran and Paris, with the latest move highlighting the increasingly difficult environment for cultural and diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
