The Albany Gazette - France to expel two Iranian diplomats: foreign minister

"Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days," Jean-Noel Barrot said on X, adding the move was a consequence of the "intolerable" treatment of the French diplomats who were briefly detained last month in Tehran over accusations of "interference".

The Iranian foreign ministry on Monday said it had informed France that the two French diplomats would not be allowed to return to Iran.

Barrot on July 20 said the pair -- one of whom was the cultural attache -- had the night before been targeted by Iranian officials, who detained and questioned them over several hours, "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, with one of them physically abused.

"It is precisely because France stands shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people, supporting their artists, scientists and researchers, that two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately attacked on 19 July," Barrot said on Tuesday.

The Iranian authorities have denied any mistreatment, saying the diplomats had only been briefly questioned and that they had "interfered in Iran's internal affairs under the pretext of engaging with civil society".

- Iran detains graphic artists -

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.

On Monday, supporters of two prominent Iranian graphic design artists -- Aria Kasaei, 46, and Elly Naghilou, 36 -- told AFP the two were also arrested on July 19 during a meeting with the French diplomats to discuss a cultural project, Villa Zadig, and have been held ever since.

Barrot did not make any reference to the Iranians' arrests in his post on Tuesday.

The meeting took place at Kasaei's home in Tehran and the designers were working the visual identity for Villa Zadig, the supporters said in a statement.

They called for the two designers to have access to an independent lawyer and for their "safety and fundamental rights to be guaranteed".

They added that as "two French representatives directly witnessed part of these events" Paris should "fully establish the circumstances of these arrests" and "take every necessary step to guarantee their rights, safety and release".

Rights groups say Iranian authorities have ratcheted up a crackdown against civil society in the wake of January protests that rocked the clerical leadership and the subsequent US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

burs-sw/rmb

(T.Brown--TAG)