BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 17. Iran has said that two employees of the French embassy involved in a diplomatic dispute last month will not be allowed to return to the country, further escalating tensions between Tehran and Paris.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the two employees had violated the Vienna Convention, which establishes the rules and privileges governing diplomatic missions, by engaging in activities that Tehran described as supporting Iranian civil society.
“Insisting that these individuals were engaged in activities related to supporting civil society is itself an admission that the Vienna Convention was violated,” Baghaei told a weekly news conference, without providing further details about the alleged activities.
The decision comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Western countries. Tehran has long been highly sensitive to what it regards as foreign interference in its domestic affairs.
Iranian authorities have become particularly concerned about Western diplomatic and political activity since the US-Israel war against Iran began more than five months ago.
The latest dispute involving French embassy employees could further strain relations between Tehran and Paris, as both sides remain at odds over diplomatic activities and Iran’s concerns about foreign interference.
