Iran says the institution was involved in activities it described as unlawful and incompatible with diplomatic norms.
France will summon Iran’s ambassador and take “appropriate measures” after Tehran authorities closed a French-language centre associated with the French embassy, the French Foreign Ministry said.
“This latest attack on France’s cultural presence in Iran, following the assault on two embassy staff members last July, is unjustifiable and unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said Sunday.
Iran announced the closure of the centre, accusing it of carrying out “illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions”.
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news website said the facility, affiliated with the French embassy and operating for years as a language school, had been shut following action by the Tehran prosecutor’s office.
According to the report, the French Language Centre, known as the CLF, had “abused its status as a language training facility” by attempting to “identify and build networks among the country’s elite figures while facilitating their departure”.
The French Foreign Ministry said it would respond with “appropriate measures” and summon Iran’s ambassador in Paris at the request of Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Tensions between Tehran and Paris have increased in recent months. In August, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said it detained two French diplomats during a national security investigation over alleged foreign interference before releasing them to the French ambassador.
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