Iran says two French diplomats accused of ‘interference’ barred from returning

TERHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday that two French diplomats who were briefly arrested last month over accusations of “interference” would not be permitted to return to the country.
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on July 20 that the pair had been targeted by Iranian officials the night before “in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunity.”
He said they had suffered “an extremely serious act of intimidation” at the hands of Iran’s security service.
On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei hit back at French authorities, saying they should apologize for the actions of the diplomats, which he insisted had violated the Vienna Convention.
“The two individuals involved left Iran. We also officially announced that they would not be permitted to return,” Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing.
Tehran had previously said the diplomats “interfered in Iran’s internal affairs under the pretext of engaging with civil society.”
Iran’s intelligence ministry has said an initial probe showed the pair were “planning and designing a vast scheme aimed at exerting influence and engaging in foreign interference” to undermine Iran’s independence. The ministry did not offer details.
On July 26, Iran summoned the French ambassador to protest against the conduct of the two diplomats.